Key Takeaways
- The NFL is increasingly using advanced technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), to improve officiating, strategy, and player safety.
- The Hawk-Eye Innovations’ Synchronized Multi-Angle Replay Technology (SMART) system combines multiple camera angles to help officials make faster and more accurate decisions.
- The league is using technology to track player movement and performance, including radio-frequency identification (RFID) transmitters in shoulder pads and game balls.
- The NFL is testing technology aimed at improving player safety, including sensors in mouthguards to measure head impacts.
- The league has implemented a virtual measurement system using Sony’s Hawk-Eye technology to determine the line to gain.
Introduction to the NFL’s Technological Advancements
The National Football League (NFL) has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, with technology playing an increasingly important role in the game. On today’s NFL sidelines, whistles and clipboards now share space with artificial intelligence, ultra-high-definition cameras, and real-time data streams. The league is accelerating its push to use advanced technology to improve officiating, sharpen strategy, and make the game safer for players. From replay reviews to player safety, the NFL is leaning on advanced technology to enhance how the game is played, officiated, and coached.
The SMART System and its Impact on Officiating
At the center of the NFL’s technological efforts is Hawk-Eye Innovations’ Synchronized Multi-Angle Replay Technology, known as the SMART system. This system combines every available broadcast camera angle of a play into a single platform, allowing replay officials to review multiple angles at the same time. The SMART system was installed ahead of the 2021-22 season at Art McNally GameDay Central in New York and in replay booths at stadiums across the league. Officials on site and league staff in New York can now review plays simultaneously throughout games and during replay challenges. The system relies on cameras operated by the NFL’s broadcast partners, which are positioned throughout stadiums on game day. Hawk-Eye collects and synchronizes every broadcast angle of every play and sends the video to both the stadium replay booth and GameDay Central in real time.
Technology’s Role in Coaching and Decision-Making
Technology is also reshaping how teams coach and make decisions during games. Starting in 2025, sideline and coaches’ booth devices were upgraded to Surface Copilot+ PCs, offering faster performance, longer battery life, and built-in AI capabilities. AI-powered filtering allows players and coaches to quickly locate key moments in real time, reducing manual searches and highlighting pivotal plays such as scoring drives, turnovers, and penalties. In coaches’ booths, club analysts use a Microsoft 365 Copilot-powered Excel dashboard to identify trends and insights more quickly, including personnel groupings and snap counts that can influence in-game strategy. The league tightly controls how the tablets are used, distributing them before each game, configuring them without internet access or app installation, and collecting them immediately after the game ends.
Player Tracking and Safety
On the field, the NFL continues to expand its use of tracking data. Since 2014, players have worn radio-frequency identification transmitters developed by Zebra Technologies inside their shoulder pads. Receivers installed throughout stadiums collect real-time data on player speed, distance, and location. Similar RFID transmitters placed inside game balls track movement and performance. The league is also testing technology aimed at improving player safety. Sensors embedded in mouthguards use accelerometers and gyroscopes to measure the force, direction, and location of head impacts. That data can be transmitted wirelessly to sideline devices, allowing medical staff to assess potential injuries more quickly.
Virtual Measurement and Officiating
Officiating has also gone digital. The NFL has implemented a virtual measurement system using Sony’s Hawk-Eye technology to determine the line to gain. Six 8K cameras installed in every stadium provide real-time 3D tracking of the ball, replacing traditional chain measurements with a more precise and efficient process. The system is operated remotely from GameDay Central and is integrated into both replay review and broadcast coverage. League officials say the growing use of technology is designed to improve accuracy, consistency, and safety — while preserving the integrity of the game.
The Future of Technology in the NFL
As the NFL continues to test and deploy new tools, artificial intelligence and advanced tracking are becoming as much a part of Sundays as whistles and scoreboards. The league’s commitment to technological innovation is expected to continue, with potential future developments including the use of virtual and augmented reality to enhance the fan experience. With the SMART system, player tracking, and virtual measurement, the NFL is poised to remain at the forefront of technological advancements in sports. The integration of technology into the game is likely to have a lasting impact on the sport, improving the experience for players, coaches, and fans alike.
