Getty Arizona Cardinals
As many teams around the National Football League have come forth with their alternate helmets for the 2022 campaign, the Arizona Cardinals were among that list. The sleek black helmets feature a black facemask, and small red speckles across the helmet that will be worn in three games this upcoming season, including their color rush game. This will give the Cardinals the opportunity to have a blackout uniform game which has been implemented across the football world on many occasions.
The Cardinals will join 12 other franchises in donning alternate helmets for this year including the Bears, Bengals, Commanders, Cowboys, Eagles, Falcons, Giants, Jets, Panthers, Saints and Texans. Following the lifting of the one-shell policy in June of 2021, many teams have taken it upon themselves to rock the best alternate helmet in the NFL when the 2022 season ensues.
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Cardinals Players Admire New Alternate Helmet
“The look of this helmet is so incredibly sharp and something I know that both our players and fans will absolutely love,” Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill stated. “We are excited to showcase them this season, especially on a national stage.”
This helmet is sure to turn heads and from the moment it was presented to some of the top players on the roster, it was met with looks of awe. It is surely a far cry from what the Cardinals’ faithful have been used to seeing over the past half-century.
“I like that it’s new and different,” defensive end J.J. Watt said in reaction to seeing the helmet for the first time. “It’s cool. It’s going to look good under the lights with the black uniforms… I assume it hits people just as hard as with the other helmets, so I’m looking forward to that.”
For a franchise that has only used their primary white helmets since 1959, minus minor tweaks it marks a new age for the Arizona Cardinals gameday swag. Since unveiling the new helmet, it has received much praise and players are more than ready to wear them.
“I see the red sparkles in there— I think that’s the best part of it,” Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker said after laying his eyes upon the helmet. “It looks black but it has like a chrome-ish red look, those are going to look real clean. Play good, look good, feel good for sure.”
When You Can Expect to See the Helmets in Action
As previously mentioned, the helmets will be worn in three games for the Cardinals this season, giving fans enough chances to relish in the rare look for the franchise. The first matchup will be on August 21, during the preseason matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. This will be the first game since 1958 that the team is wearing a non-white helmet.
Moving onto the regular season, the Cardinals will again wear the black helmets at home taking on the Eagles on October 9. The final time they will wear them is on Thursday Night Football, scheduled for October 20, in Arizona against the Saints.
Each time they play in their black helmets they will also be in black jerseys, giving the full blackout effect for fans to enjoy. Heading into a pivotal season for the Cardinals a little bit of a wardrobe change might bring fresh energy to the locker room in their pursuit for their first Super Bowl victory. The Cardinals will kick off their season at home on September 11, against the Kansas City Chiefs.
