The NFL is facing a concerning issue as the number of concussions keeps rising, even with new safety measures in place. In the 2025 season, there was an all-time high of 538 concussion checks during games, along with 26 medical breaks. Despite having banned seven types of helmets last year, the league is now ramping up its efforts to tackle this problem.

As reported by Front Office Sports, the NFL discovered that 44% of concussions during games are now caused by hits to the face mask, which is a big jump from 29% back in 2015. This change has grabbed the attention of top officials.

“We’ve seen substantial improvements in the helmet shells over the last few years, but we have not seen a similar improvement in face masks in their ability to deter some of these concussions,” NFL EVP Jeff Miller said at the league’s annual meeting this week in Arizona. “So when we have concussions on the field from helmet contact, a greater percentage of them are happening on hits right to the face masks, and that piece of equipment does not have the same sort of force mitigation properties as the rest of the helmet.”

During the 2024 season, hits on the face mask caused 44% of concussions during games, a notable rise from 29% in 2015. This ongoing trend shows that the issue isn’t just going to fix itself.

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So, the league is now exploring new ideas instead of just sticking to the usual solutions. In February, some plans were shared for an innovation summit during Super Bowl week, which is the next step in the HealthTECH Challenge series focused on improving helmet safety.

The concept is straightforward yet bold. This challenge invites inventors, engineers, startups, researchers, and established companies to rethink helmet design, particularly focusing on how face masks absorb impact and lessen force during collisions.

However, the league is still hopeful about what comes next.

“Recent efforts to improve shell impact technology have been incredibly fruitful, and now we look forward to evaluating this next wave of creative solutions to face masks and other helmet components to further reduce injury,” Miller said.

Meanwhile, there is a real reason to get things done. Winners can get up to $100,000 in funding and expert help to make their ideas a reality. The NFL is not slowing down in its efforts to fix the concussion problem.

NFL prohibits 7 different helmet models

The NFL didn’t just talk about making gear safer; they took real action last year. The league decided to ban seven helmet models for the 2025 season after testing them with the NFL Players Association. They also moved three more designs into the “not recommended” category, making it clearer what players can safely wear.

At the same time, the facts behind those decisions were tough to overlook. Players who wore “not recommended” helmets between 2021 and 2024 were just 2% of the league, but they had a 35% higher chance of getting a concussion.

On the other hand, 10 highly rated helmets worked so well that players didn’t need extra guardian caps anymore, as Jeff Miller mentioned while talking about the findings.

At the same time, the league saw real progress. The 2024 season was “a seminal year and a huge step forward in helmet technology and the options available to players,” Miller said.

The NFL wants to get rid of helmets that don’t work as well more quickly, but the players’ union still puts player choice first. Miller said that the balance has caused some tension because the league “leans a bit more towards a mandate.”

So, all of this has led up to what will happen next. The bans, the data, and the push for better designs have already changed the way things are now, and this year will show how much those changes really make the game safer for players.