Total Pro Sports
NFL coaches will wear new gear on the sidelines in 2025, as manufacturer Sony has announced a sleek new design that will debut next season.
League officials, coaches, and supporting staff were all involved in producing the new pieces.
The company shared some photos of the headsets on social media, revealing that they boast noise-canceling technology tested in real crowd noise, surpassing 100 decibels, and in extreme weather and precipitation.
They also feature a custom mic that isolates the coach’s voice and automatically mutes when lifted.
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was one of the coaches involved in the trial process, and he’s very pleased with the new sets.
“This headset took all factors of the game into consideration, and I am looking forward to being able to rely on them during the game throughout this season and beyond,” LaFleur remarked, per NFL.com.
The headsets are built from scratch, specifically for coaching staff. They employ Sony’s WH-1000X noise-canceling technology and feature dual-mic options, single-ear designs, and dual-cup designs.
As mentioned above, the mic automatically turns off when flipped up.
The pieces were subjected to adverse conditions during the testing phase, including freezing, showers, and Tokyo humidity to simulate extreme weather patterns.
They were also put through extreme drop testing, given that an NFL coach is always likely to take off his headset and slam it to the ground when emotions run high.
LaFleur added that “Sony took the time to understand exactly what we need — from clarity in noisy environments to comfort and reliability when the pressure is highest.”
We would suspect he was more involved in the drop testing part, given that he was caught on camera smashing a headset near the end of the first half during a game against the Chicago Bears in January 2024.
