- NFL owners have approved a new hybrid kickoff rule at the Annual League Meeting.
- The new NFL kickoff rule is similar to what the XFL implemented for its new league in 2020.
- The hybrid kickoff was approved by a vote of 29-3; the Packers, Raiders, and 49ers voted against.
As the NFL continues to conceive new rules to reduce head injuries, the league has passed a new hybrid kickoff rule. Taking a page out of the XFL’s playbook, the NFL is adopting a similar unique kickoff format.
The measure was approved by owners by a vote of 29-3 at the latest Annual League Meeting in Orlando, Florida this week. Three teams voted against the new kickoff rule.
The Green Bay Packers, represented by team President Mark Murphy, the Las Vegas Raiders, and the San Francisco 49ers’ owners, voted against the new regulation.
The hybrid rule is set to transform the way kick-offs are performed. There have been several minor tweaks to the rule in the past.
Notably, in 2011, the kickoff was moved to the 35-yard line with no pre-kick motion to limit the number of returns by the opposing team. Then, in 2016, the touchback line was moved from the 20-yard to the 25-yard line to encourage receiving teams to take more touchbacks rather than return the ball.
As a result of the new rule, the NFL kickoff as we know it will look completely different from the previous format. Below, find an explanation of the NFL hybrid rule and all of its applications.
New Rule Will Change NFL Kickoffs Dramatically
Spring football fans will be familiar with the hybrid kickoff. When the XFL was re-born in 2020, they introduced a new kickoff model for their games.
In the inaugural season in 2001, a player from each team would scramble in a mad dash for a loose ball on the ground.
There were no coin tosses, as opening possession would be decided by who won the scramble. The new hybrid NFL is modeling its kickoff similarly to the latest XFL’s latest season:
- The kickoff will remain from the 35-yard line.
- 10 players from the kicking team will line up on the opponent’s 40-yard line.
- The receiving team must have a minimum of nine players lined up between their own 30 to 35-yard line.
- Following the kickoff, play begins after the ball is caught or hits the ground in the landing zone (end zone to 20-yard line). The ball can also be returned from the end zone.
- Any kick in the landing zone must be returned. If the ball hits the landing zone and deflects into the end zone, it must be returned or downed for a touchback.
- If the ball carries into the end zone without hitting the landing zone, it can be returned or down it to start the drive at the 30-yard line.
- The receiving team’s drive will begin at the 40-yard line if the ball does not reach the landing zone or goes out of bounds.
- Lastly, there are no fair catches and onside kicks are only allowed in the 4th quarter.
NFL kickoffs are one of the most high-speed elements of the game. The collisions often include head-to-head contact, which results in a higher rate of concussions.
Concussions Double On Kickoffs
Over the last 15 years, the league has tweaked how kickoffs are done for the sake of player safety. In 2013, the NFL settled a $765 million settlement with ex-players regarding concussion-related head injuries.
More than 4,500 former players accused the NFL of hiding the dangers of brain injuries and failing to protect them once they were injured with a possible concussion. The ensuing fallout was fear of the kickoff being removed from the game completely.
According to Forbes, players suffered concussions at twice the rate on kickoffs as opposed to traditional plays where the teams are lined up directly across from each other.
With players having more time to speed up before contacting an opposing player, the impact on the brain was more forceful. In February 2024, the NFL reported that concussions on kickoffs were reduced from 20% to 8% because of fewer returns due to rule adjustments.
The NFL hybrid kickoff seeks to dramatically limit the number of concussions from 8% to considerably lower for the 2024-25 season.
