New NFL helmet accessory reduces concussions, but players and fans may not be ready to put safety over swag

In the fall, football season takes place in the US, and with it comes the parade of gaudily decorated helmets worn by the players.

Over time, the shape and size of these helmets have gradually changed, from the leather headgear of the early 20th century to the futuristic plastic domes we are used to today.

But the visual profiles of some NFL football helmets could change dramatically in 2024. The league has approved the use of padded helmet accessories in-game, known as Guardian Caps, which the NFL says can “reduce the force of head contact” by as much as 20%.

A backlash has already begun. Some players have complained that the devices are clunky. And fans and players alike have bristled at how the blocky accessory makes players’ heads look disproportionately large.

Since I’m working on the cultural history of the football helmet, I’m curious to see what happens.

What happens when player safety collides with the visual appeal of a multi-billion dollar sport where the helmet is the game’s most important brand and symbol?

We’re going to find out now.

From the practice field to the playing field

Guardian Caps attach to the outside of players’ existing helmets with snaps and hook-and-loop closures and consist of a series of soft, rectangular pads bonded together with fabric.

After the caps were introduced in 2010, some college and professional teams began wearing them during practice. In 2022, the NFL began requiring them during preseason practices. Initially, only linemen and linebackers were required to wear them. In 2024, the league required all players except quarterbacks and kickers to wear them during practice. In April 2024, the league announced that players would be able to wear them at their discretion in regular-season games.

There appears to be good reason to encourage their use. Using data collected from all 32 teams, the league found that the devices reduce the force of impact in head-on collisions by 20% when both players involved wear the device, and by 10% when only one of the players wears one.

Some pundits have expressed skepticism about the NFL’s rigorous research data. Still, the league claims there has been a staggering 52 percent drop in reports of concussions during preseason workouts since the devices were made mandatory.

Touting the safety benefits of the Guardian Caps is a clear public relations victory for the NFL. Ongoing research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and other traumatic brain injuries continues to demonstrate the damage that repeated blows to the head can do to the brain, with football players being particularly vulnerable.

Many players have supported the league’s efforts to put safety first, including Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who became the first known skill position player to wear a Guardian Cap during an exhibition game on Aug. 11, 2024.

Players object

But the story of the introduction of Guardian Caps is not an unqualified success – at least not yet.

Although the standard Guardian Caps weigh less than 7 ounces (0.2 kilograms), many players find them heavy and warm.

“I hate them,” Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed told The Seattle Times. “I understand the safety for them, but I’ve been playing a long time. It just looks weird. I don’t like them. I’m ready to take them off.”

“I can’t stand them. It affects my swag,” Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay told CBS Sports. “My game is part of my swag. If I don’t look good, I can’t feel good.”

Clearly, in such a fast-paced, violent game, the smallest of margins—both physical and psychological—can make a difference in performance. And players like Reed, Slay and at least a dozen others seem unwilling to sacrifice their ability to maximize on-court performance for incremental safety gains.

As much as these players may object to the look and feel of Guardian Caps, it may not be the biggest problem the NFL faces with their implementation.

Tarnishing the brand

Simply put, many fans find the Guardian Caps ugly, even when they are covered in fabric that resembles the logos on the underlying plastic exterior.

But why should the fans’ reaction matter? After all, they’re not the ones risking their health.

Additionally, most helmets during the first 75 years of football history were nondescript. According to football historian Timothy P. Brown, early helmets were made of plain leather in “various shades of brown or black, so that they all looked more or less the same, like many team uniforms.” It wasn’t until the 1940s and 1950s, when early plastic models from sports equipment manufacturer Riddell became popular, that the helmet’s potential as a canvas for decoration began to be realized.

Yet much of the NFL’s incredible success is due to its visual appeal.

In the early 1960s, then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle noted that television, not ticket sales, would drive football’s future financial success. Helmet branding was a vital way to promote and celebrate an NFL team’s identity. For TV viewers, helmet logos would only become bolder and more colorful as broadcast technology improved.

Today, the logos that first appeared on helmets in the mid-20th century have become icons of billion-dollar brands with hundreds of millions of fans around the world.

The negative impact the Guardian Caps have on the game’s aesthetic, and the importance of that aesthetic to the game’s continued popularity, have not gone unnoticed.

“Football is an extremely visual sport,” wrote Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “It thrives in large part because of how it looks on TV.”

“With streamlined helmets covered in lumpy coverings that resemble soundproofing panels, the atmosphere will be compromised,” he added.

Fortunately for Florio and others who don’t like the look of the Guardian Cap, the NFL has already approved and encouraged six new helmet models that are said to offer the same protection as helmets with the Guardian Cap on them.

These models also don’t really look like regular helmets. But they also don’t look like Guardian Caps, and that can make a difference.