NFL-driven helmet innovation contributes to lowest number of concussions on record

The NFL drives innovation in helmet safety through data, testing and collaboration with helmet manufacturers – contributing to last season having the lowest number of concussions in an NFL season.

On September 3, NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills led a panel discussion exploring how the league shares player health and safety learnings with the broader sports medicine community, and how football programs at the youth, high school and college levels approach player health and safety.

NFL Network's Steve Smith Sr. learns from the Los Angeles Rams equipment staff how to fit helmets to rookie players.

In the latest episode of "Most Interesting Jobs," NFL Legend Steve Smith Sr. paid a visit to the Los Angeles Rams' equipment team to learn about the safer helmet options available to players today, the NFL-NFLPA annual testing process and rankings, and how equipment managers work with players to select and customize their helmets.

NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills spoke with Biocore's Dr. Ann Good about what goes into the NFL-NFLPA's annual helmet laboratory testing, the rate of improvement we've seen in helmet technology over recent seasons, and working with club equipment staff to support player adoption of better-performing helmet models.

On February 25, 2025, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills spoke with several NFL team doctors for a special edition of NFL Presents live from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills speaks with NFL Vice President for Player Performance and Strategic Innovation, Dr. Mackenzie Herzog, about the league's approach to injury data collection and how that data informs the NFL's injury reduction strategy.

The NFL continues to advance player safety with the Digital Athlete, an AI injury prediction tool powered by AWS. By capturing real-time data and running millions of simulations of NFL games, it identifies when players are at a higher risk for injury and helps inform rule changes, including the Dynamic Kickoff.

On October 10, 2024, NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills led a discussion, live from London, about how the league, club and local medical personnel work together to prepare and plan for international games.

On April 9, 2024, NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills led an NFL Presents discussion focused on the league's efforts to remove preventable head contacts on the field.

The Digital Athlete, a joint effort between the NFL and Amazon Web Services (AWS), uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to build a complete view of players' experience, which enables NFL teams to understand precisely what individual players need to stay healthy, recover quickly, and perform at their best.

The NFL harnesses innovative technology to help make the game safer. That includes the Digital Athlete, an injury prediction tool – built on artificial intelligence and machine learning powered by AWS – that represents the next generation in player health and safety.

On December 5, 2023, NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills led an NFL Presents discussion focused on the league's collaborative, research-driven approach to reducing lower extremity injuries.

A critical part of the NFL's efforts to reduce and prevent player injuries is the collection and analysis of on-field data. Recent innovation in player equipment – including sensors in mouthguards and shoulder pads – provides the league with data from practices and games to advance equipment, training, and how the game is played.

The NFL continues to drive innovation in helmet safety, helping lead manufacturers to develop a new quarterback-specific helmet designed to increase protection suited to their role on the field.

On Tuesday, January 31, NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills led a discussion about the emergency action plans in place at each NFL game, how other professional leagues approach preparedness, and what sports at all levels can do to be prepared for a range of emergency scenarios.

When NFL players take the field on game day, there is a comprehensive operation happening behind the scenes with a team of more than 30 medical professionals focused on one thing: providing players with the best possible care.

NFL Media's Steve Wyche reports on how the league's helmet technology has advanced and progressed in 2022.

Helmets are becoming safer at an unprecedented rate and more players across the league are wearing better-performing helmets as the NFL continues to drive innovation.

Building A Better Game: How customized helmets are benefiting NFL players.

For the NFL, the 60-Minute Medical Meeting is a crucial piece of game day preparations – an essential checkpoint before the action begins to ensure that officials, team medical staff, and gameday medical personnel are aware of all in-game player health and safety procedures and resources.

NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills is joined by NFL leaders and engineering experts for a discussion on the League's comprehensive approach to reducing head impacts on the field.

As the preseason get underway, players across all 32 NFL clubs are wearing padded shells on their helmets called Guardian Caps in the latest example of the league's continued work to foster innovation leading to better, safer protective equipment for players.

Hear from NFL Legends Michael Robinson and Golden Tate about their experiences with heat illness prevention and education, and the importance of staying hydrated and healthy in the heat.

The NFL and AWS are building the "Digital Athlete," a virtual representation of an NFL player that can be used to better predict and eventually prevent player injury. Check out more on the Digital Athlete and how the NFL is leveraging data and machine learning to make the game safer for players.