'Radical' Kickoff Rule Changes Approved By NFL

The idea for an updated setup succeeded on kickoff rule in a Tuesday morning vote as the league attempted to maintain a crucial aspect of the game while lowering the risk of injuries caused by high-speed accidents with distance-boosted acceleration.

Revisions to NFL kickoffs rule

Although the players on the kicking team will now line up at the opponent’s 40-yard line, the team will still kick from the 35-yard line. It is not possible for those players to move and for the kicker to cross the 50 until the ball touches the ground or a receiving player in the end zone or “landing zone,” which is the area from the goal line to the 20.

The “setup zone” is the area between the 30- and 35-yard lines where the receiving team must have at least nine players lined up, while the landing zone can have no more than two returners.

If a kick lands in the landing zone, it must be returned; if it bounces into the end zone, the receiving team must either return it or bring it down for a touchback to the 20-yard line.

When a kick is made outside of the landing zone, it is a touchback to the 30; when it lands in the end zone and is downed, it is also a touchback to the 40.

Fair catches have come to an end.

Onside kicks don’t happen until the fourth quarter starts and a team is behind, in which case the current regulations would be in effect.

After safety, kickoffs will begin in the 20, with the kicker having the option to use a tee. The setup and landing zones will remain same.

The location of the kick, not the setup, landing zones, or player alignment, would be affected by penalties that extend to kickoffs.

To stop what the league believed was turning into a ceremonial performance, the plan will affect the order in which teams line up.

Chairman of the competition committee Rich McKay stated on a recent conference call that “the play will feel different and radical because it doesn’t look like the usual patterns we’ve had before.” “However, we have been using this play in the XFL for the past two years.”

How the alterations for the kickoff rule were made

To further debate the adjustment, over 50 special teams coaches gathered at the scouting combine, led by special teams coordinators John Fassel of the Dallas Cowboys and Anthony Rizzo of the New Orleans Saints. In brief kicks, the hybrid kickoff rule will bring the majority of the kicking and returning team members closer to one another.

The intention is to encourage returns by placing touchbacks closer in. In 2023, there were 1,970 touches, compared to 416 in 2010 (league data). Touchbacks have been rising steady in recent years. On the other hand, return yards decreased throughout that time, falling from 45,000 to 13,000.

According to McKay, “they genuinely reexamined the formation and the starting line, placing them at the 40 and the 35 instead of the 35 and the 30. Return two of the players. Release the two returnees. Modify the entry time for the ball. Everything I believe is critical to improving this play.”

McKay stated he anticipates that the kickoff change will result in an average gain of three to five yards in field position and, consequently, an increase in scoring.

League sources said that they were unsure if the vote would succeed as of late Monday. In a practice vote on Monday, nineteen clubs had accepted the proposal—five short of the required two-thirds quorum. The vote ultimately carried 29-3.

League management questioned if they would have to table the regulation adjustment until May. Coaches, however, were reluctant to fill up a roster before the draft because they were unsure about the rule changes and didn’t want to enter the draft with that level of uncertainty. According to Fassel, when a returner’s touches rise this season, his worth will “skyrocket.”

Though there will undoubtedly be a period of adjustment, the clarity has now arrived.

“Both losing the game and our special teams are things we don’t want to happen,” according to McKay. “This play’s historical size and speed must be reduced, which is why we prefer the formation. People running down there provided a ceremonial play and a fantastic look, but the space and speed generated an injury factor that (made) it necessary for us to improve that.”

“Our coaches are masters at plotting, so there will be plenty this year that will be exciting.”