NFL players wear rugby-style scrum caps – over their helmets

Several NFL players wore helmets with extra padding, called ‘Guardian Caps’, in games for the first time on Sunday in the latest move by the league to safeguard against future concussions.

The caps have been a regular feature in practices for NFL teams since 2022 and were worn by some players in pre-season. Now a small number of players have elected to wear the modified helmets in games, after the NFL signed off on the move back in April.

The caps attach to the top of the helmet, providing an extra layer of padding with a soft shell which absorbs the initial contact. According to the manufacturers, the caps reduce the impact of collisions by 33 per cent.

“We now have two years of data showing significant concussion reductions among players who wear Guardian Caps during practice, so players will be permitted to wear the cap during games this upcoming season,” said NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller back in April.

Jabrill Peppers, who plays safety for the New England Patriots and finished Sunday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals with six total tackles, has been one of the early adopters of the Guardian Cap helmet in games.

Peppers discussed his decision afterwards with The Athletic, noting that if the temperature had been in the mid-20s (Celsius) he would have opted not to wear it. A sleeve is required to go over the cap, blocking out any air holes and therefore increasing a player’s temperature. The difference between Peppers’ helmet and a regular NFL helmet can be seen here in the Patriots’ pre-game huddle.