The NFL has reported that there were a record-low number of concussions during the 2024 season, 182, which is the smallest figure since the league began tracking them in 2015.
It was also in 2015 that the NFL’s concussion settlement with former players was formally approved. Since then, the league has paid out at least $1.2 billion, which has been a point of contention with the NFL’s insurance providers.
The number of reported concussions sustained by players during practices and games during the preseason and regular season is down 17% from 219 in 2023.
This was the first season in which the NFL allowed players to wear Guardian Caps during games, but only about 20 players wore them this season. Anywhere from 5 to 15 did so each week, with some choosing to test them out for a single game and others wearing them consistently.
Jeff Miller, the NFL’s EVP overseeing player health and safety, said that number was too small to generate any reliable data on the product’s effectiveness. Guardian Caps are required to be worn during training camp by all players except for quarterbacks and specialists.
Aside from Guardian Caps, NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills said 35% of players upgraded their helmet quality in 2024 based on rankings published by the league and the NFL Players Association.
Behind the Process
While the reported data from the NFL is encouraging, it does not take into account the number of players who may sustain a concussion but are not officially diagnosed with one.
When a player sustains an impact to the head, the player goes into concussion protocol if the player exhibits or reports symptoms or signs suggestive of a concussion or stinger (a nerve pinch injury), or if the team athletic trainer, booth spotter, team physician, NFL game official, coach, teammate, sideline unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant or booth UNC initiates the protocol.
