The New England Patriots are bringing back a classic look next season, a move that has been highly anticipated with the "one-shell rule" being removed earlier this year. The Patriots Hall of Fame indirectly announced via a Twitter comment Friday that the team will wear its red "Pat Patriot" jerseys next season -- the first time New England will wear these jerseys since the 2012 season.
The "one-shell rule" was put in place by the NFL prior to the 2013 season, which was emphasized for player safety. The league believed a worn-in helmet was safer for players to wear than a brand new one that wasn't broken into their heads. This offseason, the league rescinded the rule so teams could add a second helmet option starting in 2022 -- which also meant each franchise had until July 31 of this year to apply for a second helmet to be used for the following season.
We will! The throwback jerseys (red) are coming back in 2022. Last season they were worn was 2012.
— The Hall presented by Raytheon Technologies (@TheHall) December 3, 2021
The Patriots were at the forefront of making sure the popular red throwbacks were in the rotation for the 2022 season. The red uniforms were the Patriots' initial threads from 1960 until 1993, when New England decided to make over its jerseys to blue and silver with the current "Flying Elvis" logo that has become the symbol of the franchise since.
New England is returning its red throwbacks for the fourth time. The Patriots wore the uniforms during the league's 75th anniversary season in 1994, then brought them back for a one-off in 2002 before making them an alternate jersey in 2009 before the "one-shell rule" was put in place.
The Patriots didn't announce if the popular "Pat Patriot" helmet would officially be back, but all signs point to it with the popular red throwbacks making their return. New England didn't wear the "Flying Elvis" helmets with the throwback jerseys for a reason.
