Are you bored by the lack of returns and the seemingly mundane nature of the NFL kickoff? Well, after the rule change approved by owners on Tuesday, you will no longer be bored.
By a vote of 29-3, with the Packers, Raiders, and 49ers in dissent, the NFL approved a radical new kickoff rule for a one-year trial basis. The new rule will make the traditional first play of the game look nothing like it has looked up until now.
The proposal for the new kickoff rule was over nine pages long, so there is a considerable amount of information to digest. However, here are some highlights that illustrate this new rule is a radical departure from the old rule.
First, the kicker will be by himself. Yes, you read that right. He will line up by himself on his own 35-yard line. He cannot cross midfield until the ball is in play. So, in other words, the kicker can’t get involved until the ball is caught, lands in the field of play, or lands in the end zone.
Atlanta Falcons Andre Roberts receives a kickoff in the fog during the third quarter. The New England Patriots hosted the Atlanta Falcons in an NFL regular season football game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on October 22, 2017. (Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The other ten players on the coverage team will line up at the opponent’s 40-yard line. Each player must have one foot on the line and five players on each side of the ball to prevent teams from overloading one side of the coverage.
As for the receiving team, here’s how CBS Sports describes the rules.
“The receiving team has a 5-yard set-up zone that runs from its own 30 to its 35-yard line,” CBS Sports reports. “Seven players from the receiving team must have their foot on the 35-yard line. The receiving team can also have two more players who are in the set-up zone but who aren’t touching the 35-yard line. Those two players will be lined up outside the hashes.
“The receiving team can put one or two returners back to field the football, but if they decide to utilize just one returner, then the extra player will have to line up in the set-up zone between the 30- and 35-yard line. ”
Here’s a visualization of what it will be like.
Here's a look at the official kickoff-change rule proposal. Teams could have a maximum of 2 returners. Kicking team can't move until the ball hits in the landing zone or is fielded there. No more fair catches. pic.twitter.com/LaquOHnh3d
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) March 20, 2024
The rule has a lot more to it, but another highlight is that there are no fair catches. A caught ball will be a returned ball without exception.
Of course, this could all backfire and be terrible. But, as opposed to most of the NFL’s recent rule changes, which are bad, this sounds genuinely intriguing and could lead to more fireworks.
Our first chance to see it will be when the Texans face the Bears during the Hall of Fame game on August 1.
