A year after its players experienced a historically low number of concussions, the NFL saw head injuries increase in 2025, thanks largely to the continued evolution of the dynamic kickoff. However, despite the increase, the NFL’s medical team says concussion rates remain lower in the new format than what the league saw under the traditional kickoff format.
The NFL’s competition committee last offseason approved rule changes that would move up the placement of the ball on touchbacks from the 30-yard line to the 35. They did so in hopes of encouraging teams to kick the ball in play and help the kickoff regain relevance in today’s game. Those rule changes led to an increase of 1,157 returns (from 919 to 2,076) during the 2025 season, or 2.3 more kickoffs per game.
However, an increase in kickoff returns also meant that concussions suffered on kick returns increased from eight in 2024 to 35 in 2025. That equates to a concussion on one of every 59 kickoffs in 2025 compared with one out of every 114 in 2024.
In terms of concussions on all plays (offensive, defensive and special teams), NFL players sustained 168 in 2025, which represented an increase from 129 in 2024. Officials attribute the increase to the kickoff rule changes but said they remain encouraged that concussions as a whole were lower than in previous years.
“With the increase in the number of plays, we’re still well below where we were for the kickoff — the previous version of the kickoff,” NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller said on a conference call with reporters on Friday. “So (it’s) a good-news story there. With all the increased plays, of course, we are anticipating more injuries (are) going to happen with all of those dynamic plays. So looking at that rate is definitely the right way to think about it, and we continue to make progress from where we were with the old kickoff play and all injury types, but (there is) more work to do on concussions, and (it’s) something we’re going to spend a lot of time with the competition committee about.”
Miller noted the majority of injuries sustained on kickoff/return plays took place during contact between the returner and tackler, while other players engaged with one another remained relatively injury-free, an aspect the competition committee hoped would take place when adopting the new format.
The increase in kickoffs, coupled with a more aggressive approach by coaches on fourth downs, led to 137 fewer punts during the 2025 season, and that led to six fewer concussions sustained on punt return plays.
Another league-wide decrease came in the area of lower-extremity injuries (mainly ACL tears), Miller said. Achilles injuries did increase slightly, however.
One offseason area the NFL’s medical teams and engineers aim to review, in conjunction with helmet manufacturers, involves the quality of face masks and potential technological advancements that could be made in that area.
While newly designed helmets have helped protect players from concussions in instances where helmets came in contact with one another, more players sustained concussions from helmet-to-face-mask contact.