Geoff Kaplan

Geoff Kaplan is a nationally recognized leader in professional sports medicine and performance, with more than 30 years of experience directing elite healthcare and performance operations in the National Football League. Most recently, he served 16 years with the Houston Texans in multiple executive leadership roles, including Executive Director of Player Health and Senior Director of Sports Medicine, where he oversaw multimillion-dollar medical operations and served as a trusted advisor at the executive level. Over his career, he has twice been part of the NFL Athletic Training Staff of the Year voted by peer athletic trainers across the league.

Kaplan is widely regarded as an innovator who helped redefine evidence-based care in professional football. He pioneered several “firsts” in NFL history, including the implementation of PRP and biologic therapies, blood flow restriction rehabilitation, and trigger-point dry needling; many of which later became league-wide standards. He also designed a multifactorial Return-to-Football system that objectively integrated strength, mobility, performance, load, and sports science metrics to guide return-to-play decisions, while leading the creation of a fully integrated, full-time mental health program within an NFL organization.

Throughout his career, Kaplan has built and led multidisciplinary teams of more than 30 medical and performance professionals, fostering cultures grounded in trust, collaboration, and accountability. He is known for aligning player health, availability, and performance with organizational goals through advanced analytics, cutting-edge technology, and disciplined operational leadership. His work has consistently balanced innovation with fiscal responsibility, regulatory compliance, and an unwavering commitment to providing world-class care to athletes, staff, and their families.