The Buffalo Bills have unveiled their new 'Nickel City' alternate uniform, set to debut during the 2026 season at the new Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, New York.
The uniform features a gray jersey and pants, with blue numbers trimmed in white and red, paired with a blue helmet that includes a red stripe.
The helmet's design echoes the charging buffalo logo but omits the buffalo image itself.
According to the team, the uniform pays homage to Western New York's blue-collar roots, drawing inspiration from the region's industrial history—including steel mills, grain elevators, and rail yards—as well as the Buffalo nickel minted between 1913 and 1938, which featured a bison.
"From the steel mills to the grain elevators and rail yards, our city's history is paved by the blue-collar Western New Yorker," the Bills said in a statement.
"As we move into our new stadium, we pay tribute to those individuals with an alternate uniform design that forges our region's industrial past with the bold future of Buffalo Bills Football."
The uniform incorporates a prominent blue collar to symbolize the city's work ethic.
"A tribute to the blue-collar workers of past and present who represent the strength, hard-work ethic and authenticity of our city," the team noted.
Aaron La Porta, the Bills' director of design, explained that gray was chosen as a secondary base color from the team's existing palette that had not been previously emphasized.
"Since this is essentially an alternate 'color rush' designation, we must use a secondary base color that already exists in our color palette.
Gray was the one brand color we've never leaned into, so this was a fun challenge," he said.
The Bills plan to wear the alternate uniform twice during the 2026 season, though specific game dates have not been announced.
This marks the second consecutive year the team has introduced a new alternate uniform, following last year's "Cold Front" design, which was mostly white with blue and silver accents.
The uniform has drawn mixed reactions.
NBC Sports described the helmet as having "spring-football vibes" and questioned the absence of the buffalo image, despite the design's inspiration from the Buffalo nickel.
Sports Yahoo noted that NFL teams can use up to three alternate helmets and wear alternate or throwback uniforms multiple times per season.
The Bills will begin their 2026 training camp on Wednesday at St. John Fisher University, with their first regular-season game at the new Highmark Stadium scheduled for September 17 against Detroit.
