Are the Kansas City Chiefs ready for an alternate helmet design?

The NFL approved a rule change this week and it could mean the Kansas City Chiefs could have a different look when they take to the field next season.

The league approved a change to its uniform policy, allowing teams a third helmet design—a further expansion on the current limit of two.

A host of teams already jumped at the idea last season, including Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Arizona, and more. So what could this mean for the Chiefs?

Historically, the Chiefs have been one of the most consistent teams in the league when it comes to uniforms. But is now the time that we could see some sort of tweak to the team’s look? And if so, what path could they go down?

Bring on a color change

One option that has been popular with teams is simply changing the base color of their helmets while keeping the overall design the same. The Bengals wore a white helmet with black stripes, while the Cardinals and Carolina Panthers donned a blacked-out design.

Could the Chiefs go down a similar path? It figures to be the most likely option, and it is one I think the Chiefs should get behind.

Arizona and the Carolina Panthers both wore a blacked-out version of their helmets to go with an all-black uniform, and that’s something the Chiefs could easily replicate. A black helmet with a red arrowhead logo paired with black jerseys and pants would be something different, without being an entirely outrageous idea.

One look that I think would be far more popular would be an all-white look. Kansas City’s white-on-white jersey and pants combo is already a fan favorite, so why not pair it with a white helmet too? The arrowhead logo could stay the same, or the outline could be changed to red instead of black.

Either way, it would be a super clean uniform combination that would be perfect to wear during the holiday season and on Christmas day, or even better, a potential snow game.

A traditional option

If the Chiefs and owner Clark Hunt aren’t keen on breaking with tradition, maybe a history-inspired throwback helmet is the most likely option. After all, what is more traditional than a team’s original look?

The team was the Dallas Texans before relocating to Kansas City, with the helmet featuring an outline of Texas and a gold star over the city of Houston. The Chiefs wore the old-school helmet for a pair of games back in 2009, but they haven’t been seen since.

Throwbacks are always extremely popular among fans and players in the NFL, and we saw proof of that last season with Philadelphia’s kelly green look, Tampa Bay’s creamsicle color scheme, and Tennessee’s Oilers uniforms all admired and well-received.

The Chiefs could easily get in on the throwback party, something that would honor history while also providing an exciting different look.

A unique design

Kansas City’s helmet design has essentially stayed the same for 60-odd years and it might remain that way next season too, but the Chiefs still boast one of the most unique helmets in the league thanks to a design quirk.

In fact, Kansas City is one of only two teams in the league that technically have different logos on each side of its helmet. Of course, both sides feature an arrowhead with the interlocking “KC”, but on one side the K is towards the back of the arrowhead, while on the other, the K is actually on the pointy side.

The reason the design is altered so that the arrowhead faces forward in both directions and the “KC” letters still remain the right way around. The Baltimore Ravens are the other team whose helmet features this design quirk, with the “B” pointing in different directions inside the Raven.