The Best Football Gloves In 2023

Last updated: Today

Erin Carpenter

Top 5 Best Football Gloves 2023:

  1. Cutters Rev Pro Football Gloves
  2. EliteTek RG-14
  3. Under Armor Nitro Football Gloves
  4. Nike Vapor Fly Receiver Football Gloves
  5. Cutters C-Tack Revolution Football Gloves

When it comes to sport, it is essential to have all the proper equipment so you can focus on what’s really important.

This is even more true when it comes to sports like football since it demands nothing but pure focus and unrelenting determination to perform on a high level.

And, when it comes to football, a good pair of gloves is just as important as a good football.

You might be wondering why? The answer is simple. Football gloves are specially designed to improve your performance and upgrade your level of play.

Football gloves offer protection while allowing your fingers to move uninhibited. Not just that, but they also provide you with the extra padding you need to withstand the shock of the catch, and they also have traction pads that slow the ball down and help you keep it in your palms.

You might think buying a new pair of football gloves is easy, but you couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only are the world’s top brands competing to corner this part of the market, but there are half a dozen factors you need to keep in mind to make the right decision.

But don’t worry, with our help, you’ll be wearing the best football gloves in no time. In this article, we’ll give you an in-depth look at the five best football gloves you can buy, and we’ll teach you how to pick the best model for your needs.


5 Best Football Gloves In 2023: Detailed Reviews

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of how to choose the best football gloves for your needs, we recommend you first check out our top picks.

We made sure to include both receiver and lineman gloves, so theirs is something for everyone.

1. Cutters Rev Pro Football Gloves – Best Overall

Image Credit: Amazon.com

When it comes to football gloves, if you want the best, you go for the Cutters. The Cutters Rev Pro Football Gloves are one of the best selling football gloves today, all thanks to their trademark C-TACK grip.

So, what’s so special about this C-TACK material? Well, this material is one of the stickiest things we’ve ever seen. There is no doubt in our mind that no ball will escape your grip with these football gloves dawned on your hands.

Not only that, but this material is also extremely breathable. And on top of that, all you have to do to keep it squeaky clean is to give it a rub with a damp cloth.

You don’t have to worry about these gloves wearing out quickly. The Cutters Rev Pro football gloves are made out of high-quality leather, which means they can take season’s worth of wear and tear before you start seeing any cracks starting to appear.

Most importantly, these gloves are both SFIA and NFHS certified, which means they can be used for both high school and college play.

Pros

  • Extremely durable
  • Easy to clean
  • Offers superb grip
  • Stylish

Cons

  • Absolutely none

2. EliteTek RG-14 – Runner Up

Image Credit: Amazon.com

The second place in our list goes to football gloves that are so skin tight, you won’t even feel you’re wearing them. EliteTek is a famous football gear that owes its popularity to its lineup of football gloves.

The EliteTek RG14 perfectly embodies everything that made this brand famous. These football gloves offer a perfect combination of performance and protection, all the while looking pretty stylish.

The main reason why these gloves are so popular is because of how skin-tight they are. And when you add their tacky palm section into play, you get a pair of gloves that offer superb control and grip while keeping your hands warm and protected.

These football gloves will also perform admirably in scorching heat and in the pouring rain. No matter how harsh the weather is, these gloves will offer the same level of grip.

The best thing about EliteTek RG-14 football gloves is how easy they are to maintain. No matter how dirty you get them, just give them a rub with a damp cloth, and they’ll be as good as the day you bought them!

Pros

  • Extremely light
  • Offer superb control and grip
  • Easy to maintain
  • Durable

Cons

  • Less durable than the first contender

3. Under Armor Nitro Football Gloves – Most Durable

Image Credit: Amazon.com

The third place in our list goes to Under Armor and their Nitro Football Gloves. While most of you know Under Armor because of their excellent t-shirts, you probably didn’t know they also make superb football gear.

In fact, the Nitro Football Gloves have been ranked number 1 by customers and reviewers. Why were they rated number one? Well, these football gloves are incredibly durable, have superb breathability, and allow excellent finger mobility.

Like all gloves we reviewed so far, the Nitro Football Gloves feature a super-sticky palm area. Under Armor calls it GrabTack. This material is exceptionally tacky no matter the weather, and it doesn’t wear out.

On top of this,  these gloves feature revolutionary Power-Catch technology that ensures your thumbs and index fingers don’t twist when catching the ball. And when you catch it, you don’t have to worry about the ball slipping out because these gloves offer a snug fit.

The only issue we have with these football gloves is that they aren’t available in many sizes and color options.

Pros

  • Extremely durable
  • They are extremely breathable
  • Offer excellent flexibility and grip
  • Comfortable

Cons

  • Aren’t available in many sizes and colors

4. Nike Vapor Fly Receiver Football Gloves – Best Receiver Gloves

Image Credit: Amazon.com

The fourth place in our list of best football gloves goes to a brand that doesn’t need much introduction. Nike Vapor Fly Receiver Football Gloves are some of the lightest football gloves we’ve had the pleasure of reviewing.

The only issue with these gloves is that they’re not as durable as leather gloves. But, that simply comes with the territory. You can’t have a pair of gloves that are both durable and lightweight. 

Thankfully, Nike is aware of this issue which is why the Vapor Fly football gloves are built out of extremely flexible materials, so they tear and wear down so quickly.  This stretch mesh material also covers the top of the hand and knuckles to give you as much mobility as possible.

The palm section of this glove features Nike’s unique Magnigrip material that stretches all the way to the wrist to provide you with as much grip as possible. You won’t have any troubles catching even the toughest of passes, all thanks to Nike’s Magnigrip.

If you’re worried about protection, these gloves feature Hyperfuse technology that offers seamless lightweight support to your fingers to prevent them from twisting.

Pros

  • Extremely lightweight
  • Offer excellent grip
  • Very flexible

Cons

  • Not very durable

5. Cutters C-Tack Revolution Football Gloves – Best Lineman Gloves

Image Credit: Amazon.com

You like playing a more hands-on position in a game of football? You need adequate protection. Thankfully, Cutters got you covered with their C-Tack Revolution Football Gloves! These gloves offer a perfect combination of durability and performance at a reasonable price.

These football gloves are both lightweight and breathable. Thanks to these two key features, they allow for optimal movement while feeling snug. They are also quite durable thanks because they’re made out of leather.

Just like with all C-Tack football gloves, these also feature the revolutionary C-Tack material on the palms section, so you don’t have to worry about fumbling the ball. On top of that, they’ll stay just as grippy in scorching heat as they would in freezing cold.

When it comes to maintenance, these football gloves are very easy to clean. If they’re not too dirty, a couple of rubs with a damp cloth will do the job. However, if they’re caked with mud or dirt, you can simply chuck them in the washing machine since these gloves are full machine washable.

Pros

  • Superb durability
  • Offer excellent grip
  • Snug fit
  • Excellent protection

Cons

  • Can lose their grippiness if they get too wet

What Are Football Gloves And Why You Should Buy A Pair?

The inventor of football gloves was John Tate Riddell. He designed the first pair of gloves black in 1939 with his primary goal of protecting the players against the cold.

A game of football is incredibly taxing on the human body. And since this sport is, for the most part, a game of high-speed collisions, players in the early days got injured quite frequently. And since hands are one of the most delicate parts of the body, they hurt a lot.

This is why gloves slowly evolved from not only protecting the player from the cold but to also protect them from injuries. And of course, we can’t ignore the comfort and extra grip they provide.

Back in the early days of football, there were a lot of stoppages because of fumbles. And since football was competing with other spectator sports, the NFL decided to take a couple of specific measures to attract more viewers to the game.

One of those measures was adopting gloves to improve hand to ball recognition. This measure improved the game-flow and made the sport much more entertaining.

If you’re playing football at a college, in high school, or recreationally, you should get yourself a pair of football gloves. 

If you’ve ever watched a game of football, you might’ve noticed everyone is wearing gloves, including the quarterback. This is because football gloves provide superb grip and protect their hands and fingers.

Even though throwing the pigskin around in your background doesn’t require a pair of football gloves, wearing them will significantly improve your ball handling. Not only that, but they’ll also prevent you from developing any calluses.

What’s more, if you’re playing football while it’s cold outside, wearing a pair of football gloves will keep your hands warm without sacrificing your finger-dexterity. 

See Also: The Best Blade Putter


6 Factors To Consider When Buying Football Gloves

Now that you know why you should get yourself a pair of football gloves, it’s time to learn what factors you should consider when looking for a model that best suits your needs.

1. Understanding The Difference Between Football Gloves Types

Football gloves improve your performance on the field by protecting your hands and providing you with the necessary grip you need to make the perfect catch. Depending on the game, your gloves should offer more protection or more grip, as well as other variables like flexibility and fit.

Football gloves come in two types, receivers gloves, and lineman gloves, here how they differ from each other:

  • Receiver Gloves – Since receivers and running backs need full control and hold over the ball while remaining light and agile, receiver gloves offer enhanced grip. Furthermore, they feature an extended track from the palm, around the fingers and the thumb. They are also very flexible and have light padding on the backhand for protection.
  • Lineman Gloves – Since linemen take the hardest hits, the gloves reflect their situation. Lineman gloves are sturdily built and offer superb protection for your hands. They have rigid frames to prevent your fingers from bending back when you’re holding back the line. They also provide minimal grip on the palm.

2. Grip

After you’ve determined what type of gloves you need, it’s time to start thinking about grip. Each football glove model offers a distinctive grip. Some provide better grip than others, and the choice is entirely up to you.

Each brand uses its own grip technology, and it commonly comes in the form of a palm grip. If you’re getting gloves for recreational purposes, we recommend you get a model that offers the most grip since it’ll improve your performance the most.

3. Materials

Usually, the backhand part of the football glove is made out of leather. In contrast, the palm part is made out of synthetic materials. 

Of course, some low-end models utilize cheaper materials like plastics and vinyl. This type of glove is usually more uncomfortable and wears down quickly.

We recommend you go for the leather gloves if able since they’re not only more durable but more stylish.

4. Breathability

When it comes to any type of glove, we recommend you get a model that allows your hands to breathe. 

This is even more important when it comes to football because your hands will get very sweaty really fast.  This is where excellent breathability comes into play. With a breathable pair of football gloves, you’ll be able to perform at your peaks since you won’t feel any discomfort due to sweaty hands.

5. Construction

Another critical factor you need to consider is the quality of the construction. And we’re not thinking just about the overall construction but also the style and aesthetics.

Football gloves commonly feature a select type of leather called “cabatta” on the palm area, even though it’s slowly being replaced by latex. We recommend you get a model that features cabatta leather since it’s more breathable.

6. Durability

Lastly, you have to consider durability. Like we mentioned before, leather football gloves are more durable than gloves made from synthetic materials. With that said, you can still find a decent pair of synthetic gloves 

The main issue with synthetic gloves is the breathability. However, brands efficiently rectify this issue with smart design.

If you’re worried about durability, your safest bet is going for a pair of leather football gloves. Not only do they keep your hands dry, but they’re also extremely durable.


Final Word

Before you run outside for a game of football, we have to recap the results.

If you’re looking for the absolute best football gloves no matter what position you play, we recommend you buy Cutters Rev Pro Football Gloves. These gloves don’t just offer superb protection and grip, they’re also incredibly durable and easy to maintain.

If Cutters aren’t your cup of tea, you can give a chance to our runner up,  the EliteTek RG-14. They’re more lightweight than the Cutters but just as grippy.

However, you will be sacrificing durability.Lastly, if durability is all you’re looking for in a football glove, then you can give the Under Armor Nitro Football Gloves a spin. Even though they’re built out of synthetic materials, these gloves can withstand a season worth of punishment and still not show signs of damage.

About Erin Carpenter

Erin Carpenter has over 15 years experience in the diamond industry working with Artic Canadian Diamonds, Anglo-American Diamonds. She is recognized as an industry expert and has been quoted in publications such as USA Today, Forbes, The New York Times and more.