The NFL and NFLPA recently released the 2026 helmet laboratory testing results. The results have been shared with clubs and players and will be displayed on posters in club locker rooms. This year's poster comes on the heels of a record-breaking season for player adoption of top-performing equipment, with data reinforcing why helmet choice matters.
Adoption at an All-Time High
The 2025 season saw an unprecedented shift toward the safest available helmets, with the largest movement of players into better performing helmets since the NFL-NFLPA helmet testing program began in 2015. Nearly 60% of returning players switched into a higher-performing helmet and 56% chose Guardian Cap optional models, which are those at the very top of the poster that provide as much – and in some cases, more – protection than other helmets paired with a Guardian Cap.
Last season, nearly 30% of players moved from yellow "Not Recommended" helmets into green "Top-Performing" models. That progress reflects the commitment of players and equipment managers across all 32 clubs.
There is more work to do. Five additional models have transitioned into the "Not Recommended' category for the 2026 season based on laboratory testing results. Approximately 12% of the league is currently in "Not Recommended" models, representing an opportunity to move more players into "Top-Performing" models for the upcoming season.
What the Lab Tells Us – and Play on the Field Confirms
What players and equipment managers see on the poster reflects real-world outcomes, with those
"Top-Performing" helmets shown in green having nearly 30% lower concussion rates on-field than the "Not Recommended" helmets shown in yellow.
Additional data from the 2025 regular season underscores progress made in equipment quality and fit:
- 97% of NFL players wore custom-fit helmets
- 35% of players in positions with position-specific helmets available (offensive linemen, defensive linemen, and quarterbacks) wore those models.
The Next Frontier: The Facemask Challenge
Helmet shell technology has advanced significantly, and the league is placing increased emphasis on advancing the safety of other equipment components. For the 2025 season, 44% of in-game concussions involved some component of the facemask. The HealthTECH Challenge, a crowdsourced innovation competition designed to accelerate the development of cutting-edge football helmets and new standards for player safety, is actively seeking new solutions, through an open innovation challenge focused on improving impact performance of the helmet for facemask impacts with awards of up to $100,000. Applications close on May 28, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET. Full details on eligibility, submission instructions and evaluation criteria can be found at NFL.com/HealthTECHChallengeII.
