Guardian Caps explained, the football helmet that makes everyone look like Toad

If you only watch football during the Super Bowl then you might be really confused why some players are wearing oversized, oddly-shaped matte helmets compared to everyone else on the field. These are Guardian Caps, safety technology introduced to the NFL in 2023 — and while they still don’t have widespread use, more and more players are adopting the technology.

The Guardian Cap comprises of two lines of soft-shell pads, which are attached to the outside of a traditional helmet and then covered with a neoprene sleeve so the team logo is still visible. It’s an added layer of protection designed to lessen potential traumatic brain injury during violent hits, and is seeing greater use — particularly among receivers and defensive backs. This gives the appearance of a player wearing much larger helmet than their peers when on the field.

While studies show the Guardian Cap makes a significant difference in potential injury, a majority of players are yet to adopt wearing the helmets full time. There remains some stigma behind the caps, or concerns of how they will feel to players who have become accustomed to wearing traditional helmets. The NFL has yet to make the use of cap mandatory in-game, however teams are required to have players wear Guardian Caps during practice, to lessen the risk of injury during the lead up to games.

Studies have shown that a Guardian Cap will reduce 11-12% of force in a helmet-to-helmet hit, having a multiplicative effect — meaning that if both players are wearing the cap it will reduce potential trauma by 22-24%. In addition, there is evidence that players wearing the caps have had a 52% reduction in the chance of concussion compared to players who don’t wear the cap.

The challenge right now is to get every player in the league to wear the cap, which seems like the direction of football. Whether or not players feel “goofy” right now, if everyone is wearing the larger style helmet it would be normalized — and anything that can protect the future of players is worth it.