NFL May Alter Kickoff Rules Again This Year

The NFL’s competition committee is yet again looking at tweaking the rules around kickoffs, onside kicks, and replay assist.

The committee’s co-chair, Falcons CEO Rich McKay, spoke with the media after its first of a weeklong slew of meetings Sunday. The competition committee is gathering in Indianapolis this week during the NFL Scouting Combine.

The kickoff rules could see the spot of a touchback changed from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line, or moving the kicker back another five yards. Both would be intended to dissuade kickers from sailing a ball into the end zone and encourage more returns.

“You’ll have people that’ll say both,” McKay said. “But I think it’ll be one or the other, I would think. You never know. I know there’s people already talking about, ‘Hey, let’s talk about both.’ But I also know there’s this thing called 24 votes.” (A rule change needs approval from 24 of 32 team owners to pass.)

The new “dynamic kickoff,” designed to increase returns and reduce injuries began this past season, drawing ire from some including President Donald Trump. “The worst part of the Super Bowl, by far, was watching the Kickoff where, as the ball is sailing through the air, the entire field is frozen, stiff,” Trump posted to his Truth Social platform on Super Bowl Sunday. “College Football does not do it, and won’t! Whose idea was it to ruin the Game?”

But despite the backlash, owners did get what they wanted out of the new rules. The 2024 regular season saw 332 more returns, and the most returns of at least 40 yards since 2016. The regular-season kickoff return rate grew from 21.8% to 32.8%, according to the league.

The competition committee is also considering proposing changes to make the onside kick more effective, or replacing the play with fourth-and-15 or fourth-and-20 attempts. These rules would allow a team to try a long offensive play to try to maintain possession instead of attempting an onside kick. The NFL experimented with the fourth-and-15 in the 2020 Pro Bowl, where Kirk Cousins threw an interception.

Two hours of Sunday’s meeting went to replay assist and how to expand it to include “objective aspects” of penalties, McKay said. That means more clear-cut penalties like facemask could be added to a system that currently tracks things like boundary calls and catches and drops; the complete list of calls reviewed via replay assist is currently a dozen scenarios long and includes roughing the passer and intentional grounding. McKay added that the committee will see a presentation Monday about using technology on first downs next season.

Owners will meet to discuss any proposals at the NFL’s annual meeting beginning March 30 in Palm Beach, Fla.