The Detroit Lions teased a huge announcement for June 21, and it appears it will be related to a brand-new, alternate helmet.
The Detroit Lions are the darlings of the NFL entering the 2023 league year. Last year, the Lions just missed out on a playoff berth, but they eliminated the rival Green Bay Packers in the final game of the regular season. With that, the hype surrounding the Lions is at an all-time high. That's further evidenced by the fact that they'll be playing the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the opening game of the 2023 regular season.
Could more big things be on the horizon for the team?
On Tuesday, the Lions tweeted out a photo of a Honolulu blue Mustang with a license plate that reads "ALT HMT," with "June 21" painted on the back of the vehicle. With this announcement, it appears that it will be a new alternate helmet.
Lions tease alternate helmet announcement
That leaves the question — if this is an alternate helmet, what would it look like. Would it be the classic helmets that they wore in the past? Or would it be a brand new color scheme, like a blue helmet that ESPN's Field Yates? Or, perhaps it's the same color scheme of the vehicle in the team's tweet above?
Earlier this, Lions team president Rod Wood revealed to the Detroit Free Press (subscription required) that the team would introduce new helmets for this season. This came after announcing that changes to the uniform could be on the way as soon as 2024.
"There will not be new uniforms in 2023," said Wood, h/t Sports Illustrated. "I know people get over their skis on that. It takes really two years to really get it going, so (chief communications and brand officer) Brian (Facchini) and a team have been kind of working with Nike, looking at uniforms that will probably be for 2024. It could be an interesting overhaul of the uniforms. We will have a new alternative helmet though this year. We didn't do that (in 2022)."
This is a big year for Detroit, as Aaron Rodgers is no longer with the Green Bay Packers. With that, the NFC North is a bit more wide-open than in the past, and the Lions and Chicago Bears can be considered teams on the rise. But, it's Detroit who are receiving the most love, considering the same team is relatively intact, with additional players added to the roster, and that they almost clinched a Wild Card berth.
If the Lions are going to compete for a playoff berth, it appears that they will be wearing some alternate helmets during this quest.