As part of its annual equipment safety review, the NFL has once again updated its rules for which helmets meet its safety standards and which ones are no longer legal.
The updates, announced Friday, are based on “head impact severity” reviews conducted with input from the NFL Players Association. Among the notable changes this year is the number of helmets now designated as “Guardian Cap optional,” meaning they perform well enough that the league will not require players with those helmets to wear one of the soft-shelled caps during training camp or practices.
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The NFL has touted Guardian Caps as a significant tool to reduce concussions and other head injuries since their limited introduction in 2022. In 2024, the league made the caps mandatory during practices for every position except quarterbacks, kickers and punters. Last season was also the first year players could wear their Guardian Caps during games.
According to the league, NFL players sustained 17 percent fewer concussions in 2024 compared to the 2023 season. There’s no definitive metric for how much the expanded use of Guardian Caps contributed to that drop.
The league announced that 10 helmets are “Guardian Cap optional” now. Included in that category is the Riddell Axiom 3D, which topped the safety performance list this year and in 2024.
Meanwhile, seven additional helmets are now prohibited altogether. They are:
- Riddell Foundation
- Riddell Speed Icon
- Riddell Speed
- Riddell Revolution Speed Classic
- Schutt Air XP Pro Q11 LTD
- Xenith Epic+
- Xenith Epic
Players can still choose to wear one of three models — the Schutt F7 UR1 2.0 2024, Schutt F7 2.0 and Riddell SpeedFlex — included in this year’s “Not Recommended” category. However, the league said its testing found those helmets “have a nearly 30 percent higher concussion rate on-field than the highest-ranking helmets.”
Some of the models that are “Not Recommended” are helmets with newer versions that do meet the “Top-Performing” criteria, such as the Schutt F7 Pro and two updated forms of the Riddell SpeedFlex.
Quarterbacks and linemen on both sides of the ball have received specific helmet recommendations for the last two seasons, alongside the general list for all players. Nearly a third of players in those positions wore a position-specific helmet last season, according to the NFL.
The NFL said two new models that met the highest safety standards, the LIGHT Gladiator (ATK) and Xenith Orbit Pro, were developed by companies that participated in the NFL Helmet Challenge. The competition offers companies $3 million to create products that improve player safety.
Beyond the professional level, Virginia Tech also releases helmet safety recommendations for high school and youth athletes in a variety of sports. The university says its ratings are made without any contributions from helmet manufacturers.
(Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
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