Skip to main content
Friday, October 30, 2026Oct 30
Subscribe
All Sections
Search
More

This story is free to read.

NFL at 100: Helmets go high tech in quest for player safety

Various football helmets used for testing helmet-to-helmet collisions are displayed on a rack at a laboratory in the Cleveland (Ohio) Clinic's Lutheran Hospital on Sept. 23, 2010. Helmets have evolved from the original hard leather of the NFL's infancy to hard polycarbonate single-piece shells with various amounts of padding and air bladders that served as the primary form of head protection into the beginning of this century. / AP photo by Mark Duncan
Various football helmets used for testing helmet-to-helmet collisions are displayed on a rack at a laboratory in the Cleveland (Ohio) Clinic's Lutheran Hospital on Sept. 23, 2010. Helmets have evolved from the original hard leather of the NFL's infancy to hard polycarbonate single-piece shells with various amounts of padding and air bladders that served as the primary form of head protection into the beginning of this century. / AP photo by Mark Duncan Various football helmets used for testing helmet-to-helmet collisions are displayed on a rack at a laboratory in the Cleveland (Ohio) Clinic's Lutheran Hospital on Sept. 23, 2010. Helmets have evolved from the original hard leather of the NFL's infancy to hard polycarbonate single-piece shells with various amounts of padding and air bladders that served as the primary form of head protection into the beginning of this century. / AP photo by Mark Duncan

By TIM BOOTH / The Associated Press 8 min read

Long gone are the days of the leather shell and single-bar face mask.

Today’s football helmets are technological marvels, using cutting-edge materials and design elements to make the headgear the safest it has been in the 100th season of the NFL.

No piece of protective equipment has undergone as much transformation over the past decade as the helmet. Through a combination of technological advancements, investment by the NFL and an open marketplace for development, helmets are rapidly evolving – with more innovation on the horizon.

The helmet will never be expected to fully prevent concussions or other head trauma. But the advancements in recent years are making a major difference, the league said.

“There is no question there has been significant success from the helmet manufacturer side in terms of building equipment that is more protective than it was four or five years ago,” said NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller.