Only those who have fought the battles know how deep the scars are. For New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave, his NFL journey has been marked by multiple injuries. Since things have shifted on his personal front, he is responsible enough to protect himself 100%. So no matter how unfashionable the safety gear looks, Olave no longer cares.
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“All the head injuries I have had in my career, so, it was just a decision I had made that shoot, I got kids now,” Olave said in the post-game presser after losing 31-30 to the Detroit Lions. “I want to be able to live the long game. It’s not all about football. I want to live a regular life after football. I love my kids to death. I don’t care how it looks no more. I just got to throw it on and shoot. It did me good today.”
Guardian Caps have been used since the beginning of the 2024 season. They are soft shell covers on top of helmets. They serve as a cushion and enhance safety for head-to-head contact.
Ahead of the 2026 season, the NFL approved the Guardian Cap NXT and Guardian Cap NXT 2.0 for use by teams. The new models feature an external energy-absorbing layer aimed at reducing impact forces, while their design is built to maintain helmet fit, vision, and mobility. A new sleek exterior also allows teams to add customized branding.
No matter what the design is, it serves the same purpose: to protect the head. According to research by The BMJ, researchers studied the brains of 338 of the 1,712 deceased NFL players, representing 19.7% of the group. Of those examined, 315 (93.2%) were diagnosed with CTE. This placed the possible prevalence of CTE at death among all 1,712 players between 18.5% and 98.7%. The CTE cases have risen as high as 91%.
When it comes to Olave, besides the research, his history of injuries is enough to scare him. The wide receiver first sustained a recorded concussion with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2020. In the NFL, his first concussion came in his rookie season in 2022.
After suffering a concussion in 2023, Olave returned to action the following week. He sustained another on Oct. 13, 2024, before suffering a second one on Nov. 3. Olave was ultimately taken off the field on a backboard following the November injury. Things were so bad that the wide receiver thought of retiring while he was just 24 years old.
“It was a tough time last year,” Olave said last year in December. “I was only 24 years old, contemplating retirement, especially with the head injuries, but I prayed about it. My fam, my close fam was around me. They stuck by my side and I just gave it another try, another chance. And it’s been a great year.”
Back in 2024, Olave was still hesitant to wear it.
“I’m still considering it,” he said just before his second concussion of the season. “I was considering [wearing it] last game, ended up going with the regular helmet.”
But fatherhood shifted his priorities: Olave now has a son, Jair.
Besides Olave, defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd and rookie wide receiver Barion Brown also wore the Guardian Caps approved by the NFL.