What’s a Guardian Cap and Why Are NFL Players Wearing Them?

The padded headgear is meant to reduce the risk of concussions — and later development of CTE

Football fans might see something unusual when they tune into NFL games this season.

For the first time during the regular season, NFL players are allowed to wear a special accessory over their helmets called a Guardian Cap. It's foam covering meant to limit their risk of concussions.

“Football is a dangerous collision sport,” Erin Hanson, Guardian Sports founder and owner, told theNew York Times. “No doubt about it.”

Hanson told the outlet that when players wore the caps during practice, the number of concussions decreased by 50%. The statistic was also shared in an interview with NPR by NFL executive Jeff Miller, who oversees the league’s health and safety initiatives.

The padding on the cap, which is worn over a player's helmet, is meant to cushion blows on the field. "Various studies purport a 10 to 20% reduction in the forces generated with collisions," University of Pittsburgh Medical Center neurologist Dr. Joseph Maroon told CBS News.

Related: Steve Young Admits It's 'Painful' to See NFL Players 'Silently Suffering' Due to CTE

Repeated concussions can cause chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disorder that can only be diagnosed after death, the Mayo Clinic explains. CTE can cause many problems, from cognitive issues like memory loss and trouble thinking to behavioral problems, including impulsive behavior and aggression.

It’s also been linked to depression and suicide. In 2021, the family of former NFL player Vincent Jackson, who died by suicide, announced that he had CTE.

Additionally, Kathie Lee Gifford, whose late husband was NFL alum Frank Gifford, shared that he had stage 4 CTE when he died.

Related: NFL Sportscaster and Former Player Irv Cross Had Stage 4 CTE, New Findings Show

But while the helmets can help cushion the head, they don’t protect the neck, neurosurgeon and president of the Brain Trauma Foundation Dr. Jamshid Ghajar told the New York Times.

“The neck is very flexible,” Ghajar said. “Its movement causes the brain injury problem, making the front part of the brain whiplash,” he said, adding that the front of the brain “is where we see concussions and severe brain injury.”

He added, “Helmets and padding work if you have an iron neck.”

Still, the helmets are touted as a step in the right direction. “It’s really for those plays where you might not see a guy coming from the side and get incidental contact on your head,” New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers told the Athletic Equipment Managers Association.

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Related: Colts' Kylen Granson Explains Why He's Wearing a Guardian Cap This Season: 'I Want to Be Able to Remember'

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, a linebacker for the Cleveland Browns, said he decided to wear the cap after being hit during a game. “I kinda felt it a little bit," he toldSports Illustrated. "So I'm like, man, let me try this Guardian Cap and see what its [all] about.”

After wearing it, “I really didn't feel anything really on the hits,” Owusu-Koramoah said. “I'm very glad we had the opportunity to wear those things."

And, on Aug. 30, Indianapolis Colts' tight end Kylen Granson shared in an Instagram video why he wears the protective equipment.

"Why would I not add a safety measure onto my helmet?" Granson said in the video. "Anything I can do to mitigate any sort of brain injury or long term health effects that would be detrimental to me takes precedent."

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