Russell Athletic

It’s not just football helmets getting a full examination and overhaul; shoulder pads are also getting a redesign.

Carbon fiber — the stuff they use in lightweight super cars and the Batsuit — is now being used to make shoulder pads lighter, stronger and (it must be said) more expensive than ever before.

Though carbon fiber is already being used in football helmets, Russell Athletic is one of the first companies to try out carbon fiber in a shoulder pad, and they say their newest offering “CarbonTek with OS technology” is one of the lightest shoulder pads out there. They also expect it to retail for over $500, making this a product for only the most serious of college or pro athletes.

Most shoulder pads retail between $75 and $200.

Sorry rec league guys, you’re going to have to save up if you want to rock the Batsuit under your jersey.

Russell Athletic

“When we decided to launch into protective gear, we made the decision that we didn’t want to just slap on a different color plastic or put a different sticker on the front,” said Sarah Gholston, Russell’s VP of Product Design on a phone call with For the Win. “We partnered with a tier-one automotive supplier in designing the foam interior…and when we looked at the exoskeleton design, we got in contact with some aeronautical suppliers. It was there we found the aeronautical-grade carbon fiber for the exterior.”

The Saints’ Mark Ingram and the Redskins’ Pierre Garcon will both be wearing the pads this season, along with several other college and pro players.

“Pads are usually pretty bulky,” said Ingram on a phone call. “It’s something me and my teammates have thought about before, you know, just wanting something [in which] we could move around more. These give me a lot more range of motion.”

Russell Athletic