NFL, NFLPA approve new helmets for quarterbacks in latest step to combat concussions

A new helmet specifically designed to help protect quarterbacks has been approved by the NFL and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA).

The NFLPA said the push to develop the Vicis Zero2 Matrix quarterback helmet was based on the fact that "half of all QB concussions occur when their helmets hit the ground."

Although the helmet is expected to be available by next season, signal-callers will have the option of using the same headgear they used in 2022.

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Tests showed that the new Vicis Zero2 Matrix helmet "performed 7% better than the most popular helmet worn by quarterbacks last season," according to a memo sent to team executives on Thursday.

NFL data noted that almost half of the quarterback concussions were a result of helmet-to-ground impacts, including the one suffered by Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa last season.

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"We've now analyzed with our engineers and with the Players Association more than a 1,000 concussions on field, we have a pretty good database of how these injuries occur," NFL executive Jeff Miller told the Associated Press about the helmet-to-ground impacts. 

"This helmet performs better in laboratory testing than any helmets we have ever seen for those sorts of impacts."

Jason Neubauer, an executive for Vicis, said the company began designing its Zero2 Matrix QB helmet in early 2022.

"The unique thing is that it has a deformal outer shell, which means when you take an impact in any location on that helmet, it will deform or basically dent in that location to absorb the impact," Neubauer said.

"What that means for us, as designers or engineers as we're looking to optimize it for different types of impacts, we're able to change unique locations to try to optimize the impact mitigation in any one area."

It remains unclear how many quarterbacks will make the switch to the new QB-specific helmet. The league and the NFLPA share information from the helmet studies with teams so that players can make informed decisions on helmet choice. 

The only other position-specific helmet already approved is the Vicis Zero2-R Trench for offensive and defensive linemen.

The memo sent to teams also includes the results of the 2023 helmet laboratory testing study. Miller told the AP that seven helmets the league highly recommended in 2020 have been downgraded to prohibited as a result of new testing.

"That's a great sign," Miller said. "Hopefully, we can continue to stimulate that either with position-specific helmets designed for each position group or for a general all-purpose helmet, to be able to say to players, 'Work with us, be willing to change helmets, because better and better products are coming online every year.'"

The Associated Press contributed to this report.