When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took the field for Saturday’s preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans, the players were wearing noticeably smaller helmet decals than previous seasons.
The scaled-down decals (shown above) were reminiscent of what the Buccaneers wore from 1997-2013 rather than the large flag that was introduced with their redesign in 2014 and subsequently reduced by 10 percent when they unveiled their current uniforms in 2020.
It’s unclear why the Buccaneers made the change, though FOX Sports’ Greg Auman reported it was a one-game trial and the players will have their usual helmet decals during this Saturday’s game at the Pittsburgh Steelers – and every game thereafter.
Perhaps Tampa Bay, which is celebrating its 50th season and will wear home and road versions of its creamsicle throwback uniforms this year, wanted to use the preseason as an opportunity to honor another era of its history, such as their victory in Super Bowl XXXVII.
The Buccaneers may have also been looking to gauge the fan reaction in anticipation of a permanent change, which – which no matter how large or small – requires approval from the NFL at least a full year in advance.
Meanwhile, our sources have indicated Tampa Bay did not make any changes to the paint or finish of its pewter helmets, as some have speculated, with the combination of lighting, overcast/rainy skies, grainy photos/video and smaller decals feeding into that speculation.
Photos courtesy of @Buccaneers on X/Twitter.
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