NFL owners approve massive revamp to kickoff play

ORLANDO, Fla. — NFL owners approved a massive overhaul of the kickoff Tuesday, opting, after three days of discussions at the league's annual meeting, for a format native to the XFL.

The proposal passed 29-3, NFL competition chairman Rich McKay said Tuesday. A proposal must be approved by 24 of the 32 owners to pass.

“We think it's a great day for the NFL,” New Orleans Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, who worked closely on the proposal, said Tuesday. “We took a piece that we felt was dying over the last few years, and we revived it.”

The new alignment rules represent the most significant on-field rule change for the NFL in years and are designed to reverse more than a decade of declining return rates while also reducing concussion rates. Essentially, the format will move the majority of kicking and returning teams downfield to minimize high-speed collisions. It will only come into effect for one year in anticipation of possible adjustments over time.

During the 2024 season, kickers will continue to kick from the 35-yard line, but the other 10 players on the kickoff team will line up at the receiving team's 40-yard line. At least nine members of the returning team will line up in a “setup zone” between the 35 and 30 yard lines. Up to two returners can line up in a “landing zone” between the goal line and the 20-yard line.

No one other than the kicker and returner(s) may move until the ball touches the ground or hits a player inside the landing zone. Touchbacks will be scored at the 30 yard line and no fair catches will be allowed. In the event that a team wishes to attempt an onside kick, it will be required to notify officials of its intention and will then be permitted to use the traditional NFL formation. No in-game surprises will be allowed.

“We're on a mission to create an entertaining product and put a product on the field that should be competitive at every moment. And we had created a game that was no longer competitive, and our [goal was] to try to find a way to make this game competitive. And that was, in our opinion, our best option,” McKay said. “Yes, it's a big change, but now is the time to make that change.”

The proposal follows the structure and philosophy of the XFL version with a slight change in the player roster. In the XFL, they lined up further down the field, between the returning team's 30 and 35 yard lines. Over 90% of kickoffs were returned in both XFL seasons. NFL special teams coaches who helped design the NFL version of this format are hoping for a return rate of at least 80% in 2024.

The reason for this change is clear. In its efforts to reduce concussions on kickoffs, the NFL over the past 15 seasons has implemented rule changes intended to reduce returns. He moved the kickoff from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line, banned corner and double-team blocks, and in 2023 created a rule that allowed a fair catch to be spotted at the line from 25 yards.

Touchback rates have increased significantly during this period and the return rate has fallen to a league-high 21.7% in 2023. The number of concussions has also decreased, but only in tandem with the decrease returns. The rate of concussions per kickoff, according to league officials, has remained relatively constant.

“I think it's okay [be a positive]. I say this with a little hesitation. We'll still have to make changes to it,” commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday. “We'll re-evaluate it as the season goes on. I think this will be a big improvement. I think it will lead back to a relevant piece, an exciting piece. »

Speaking before the vote, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said he was in favor.

“You felt like it was taking a significant number of plays out of the game, and those were coming from special teams. And you're not really making that up anywhere else. And so, we emphasized that . So I believe in it.”

On Monday, owners approved three more rule changes:

• A ban on the hip drop pivot tackle technique.

• Allow teams to receive a third challenge after a successful challenge. Previously, teams had to complete two challenges to receive a third. This proposal was submitted by the Lions.

• If there is a double foul during a down during which there are one or more changes of possession, including if one of the fouls is a post-possession foul committed by a team during a scrum kick, the last team to gain possession will keep the ball afterwards for their foul, provided they did not commit a foul before gaining possession for the last time.

ESPN's Stephen Holder contributed to this story.