New NFL Helmet Coming In Next Season - Biggest Overhaul Since 1960s

Saca312 · May 13, 2017

With the next football season comes new ideas and innovation. Whether its teams, personnel, technology, or gear, something is bound to be different.

Helmets are no exception. In fact, next season looks like it'll have the biggest design overhaul since 1960:

https://www.inc.com/kevin-j-ryan/25-nfl-teams-will-wear-soft-vicis-helmet.html

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The Football Helmet Just Got the Biggest Redesign Since the 1960s--and It's Coming to the NFL Next Season

Testing by the NFL found Vicis's helmet to be the safest on the market. Now the big leagues are going to give it a shot.

NFL games might sound a lot different this season.

Seattle-based startup Vicis has been working since 2013 on a new type of football helmet that's designed to yield on contact. The result is a thud sound, instead of the violent crack players and fans are used to hearing. The softer impact means less trauma to the head, and the theory is that this will reduce the likelihood of brain injuries or concussions.

Outside of testing scenarios, Vicis's helmet, called the Zero1, has yet to make its way onto the heads of NFL players--but that's about to change. According to the company, 25 of the NFL's 32 teams have purchased stockpiles of the helmet from Vicis to distribute to their players during practices this spring.

The helmet was officially approved by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) late last year, opening the door for its use in the NFL and NCAA. Last week, the NFL released the results of its annual lab tests that study which helmets best reduce the severity of impact to the head. Of the 33 helmets the NFL tested, the Zero1 finished first--beating out 23 helmets from Riddell and Schutt Sports, two companies that currently account for a combined 90 percent of all football helmet sales.