The NFL announced on Thursday that the league experienced the lowest number of concussions since the information began being tracked in 2015.
NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller said that concussion information is tracked during games and practices throughout the season. According to NFL.com, the 2024 season yielded a 17% decrease from 2023.
A total of 182 concussions were documented in the NFL during the 2024 regular season and preseason, per ESPN.
Excluding the 2020 season, in which preseason games were canceled, the number of concussions in 2024 passes the previous season-low of 187 in 2022 and is significantly lower than the five-year average of 211.4 per season.
Miller called the report an “important milestone” for the league but also told those listening that it is “not the end” of the efforts to eliminate head injuries fully.
“Through improved equipment, rules modifications and a continued culture change, we will make the game safer and more exciting,” he said, per NFL.com.
Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, offered a similar statement and said the league is incredibly happy with the study results and plans to keep improving.
“We’re very pleased with the concussion numbers but not at all suggesting that the work is done,” he explained, per ESPN.
“We still have a lot to do to continue to make the game safer and reduce not only concussions, but to reduce avoidable head impact.”
Improved helmet technology has contributed to the reduction in head injuries, with the league allowing players to wear soft-shelled coverings over their helmets called Guardian Caps.
These caps were designed to reduce the impact of head injuries and reduce the number of concussions suffered by players.
Although there is no exact information on the number of players who wore these helmets during games, Guardian Caps became much more common for players to wear during practices to avoid potential head injuries.
Additionally, the NFL enacted significant rule changes to the kickoff, resulting in fewer head-on collisions between players moving at full speed.
Sills explained that continuing to upgrade equipment and modify the game will help the league improve these numbers in the future.
“We’ve spoken very publicly about our desire to see head contact continue to get out of the game — avoidable head contact,” he added, per The Athletic.
“That is something that we’ll continue to spend a great deal of time focusing on and something that we’ll be talking a lot about with our competition committee.”