Josh Allen’s tunnel walk this season will come with a lot more color than the usual Bills gear.
Eight new caps, each shaped by the imagination of children receiving care at Golisano Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, will sit on Allen’s head before every Bills home game this season. And for the first time, fans can buy the same designs.
New Era has rolled out the hats as part of its 2026 Billustration Collection, with each one priced at $49.99. Proceeds will benefit the Patricia Allen Fund at Golisano Children’s Hospital.
The setup is simple: Allen wears one cap before each of the Bills’ eight regular-season home games, and each design carries his now-famous hand-drawn Bills logo on the front. From there, the kids took over, filling the rest of the hats with their own colors, ideas and artwork.
The project grew out of Allen’s partnership with the Buffalo-based company. Last season, he and New Era launched Billustration after Allen became the first New Era ambassador to receive an investment stake in the company and was given the title “Director of Billustration.” The nickname came from his attempt to sketch the Bills logo from memory - a drawing that was not exactly perfect, but did become instantly memorable.
New Era worked with patients at what was then Oishei Children’s Hospital to create nine one-of-a-kind hats for Allen to wear before home games last season. After those caps were signed and auctioned, they brought in $140,230 for the Patricia Allen Fund.
That fund honors Allen’s grandmother, Patricia, who died in November 2020. Bills fans responded by donating more than $1 million to the children’s hospital, many in $17 increments tied to Allen’s jersey number. The hospital later created the Patricia Allen Fund to support its pediatric critical care team, and it has since raised more than $17 million.
The demand from fans made the next step obvious.
“I was eager to bring it back for the 2026 season in response to the demand from fans to get their hands on these special caps,” Allen said in a news release.
Danielle Koch, executive director of the New Era Cap Foundation, said the project’s appeal goes beyond the final product.
“One of the most special parts of Billustration is seeing the kids' creativity come to life and learning where their inspiration comes from," Danielle Koch, executive director of the New Era Cap Foundation, said in the release. "Their imagination and perspective are incredibly powerful."
The eight designs each tell their own story.
Jack’s hat uses tan, lime green and turquoise panels with a blue brim and a turkey holding a football on the side. Allen will wear that one for the home opener against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 17.
Mason’s version leans hard into red and white, with video games and football among the details.
Charlotte’s bright pink, turquoise and purple cap includes rainbows, hearts and flowers, along with a pair of lungs that represent a major medical challenge she overcame.
Isaac went with sunset colors and added a green snapback to show kidney disease awareness.
Avery and Amar’e worked together on a light blue and red design that blends their personalities with their love of the Bills.
Killian’s turquoise, tan and green hat includes an axolotl, one of his favorite animals, plus artwork tied to the two surgeries he underwent.
Caleb’s cap features a rainbow unicorn wearing leg braces like his own, and Grace finishes the set with a light blue design built around a football and other Bills-inspired artwork.
Allen will rotate through the collection for home games against the Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears and New York Jets.
Fans can choose from three styles: the 9SEVENTY, 59FIFTY and a kids’ 9FORTY. The hats are available through New Era’s website, the New Era Buffalo Store, New Era’s SoHo flagship store, Highmark Stadium and select retailers.
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