NFL owners pass new hybrid kickoff rule at Annual League Meeting

NFL owners pass new hybrid kickoff rule at Annual League Meeting
Published: Mar 26, 2024 at 09:19 AM
Around the NFL Staff
NFL.com


NFL owners on Tuesday voted to pass the hybrid kickoff rule that is intended to increase the number of returns during the 2024 season while maintaining player health and safety as a priority, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported.

Proposed for one year only, the new kickoff rules would feature new alignments for the both the kicking and receiving units. A proposed "landing zone," the area between the receiving team's goal line and its 20-yard line, would prompt action off the kickoff if the ball were to land there.

Kickoffs would remain at the 35-yard line but the remaining 10 players of the kicking unit would line up at the opposing team's 40-yard line. The receiving team would line up with at least seven players in the "set up zone," a five-yard area between their own 35- and 30-yard lines, and a maximum of two returners are permitted to line up in the landing zone.



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This was the XFL Kick-Off rule when it first came out in 2020:


XFL KICKOFF Rule

• The kicker kicks from the 30-yard line and must kick the ball in the air and in play between the opponent’s 20-yard line and the end zone.
• The coverage team lines up on the return side 35-yard line and the return team lines up on the 30-yard line. Each team must have exactly 3 players outside the hash marks on both sides of the ball and cannot move until the ball is caught by the returner.
• Out of bounds kicks and kicks that fall short of the 20-yard line will result in an illegal procedure penalty, taking the ball all the way out to the kicking team’s 45 yard line.
• Players can move when the ball is touched by the returner or 3 seconds after the ball touches the ground (when the official waves his hand down).
• If the ball is kicked into the end zone and is downed it is a “Major” touchback and the ball is placed at the return side 35-yard line.
• If the ball bounces in bounds and then out of the end zone or is downed in the end zone, the ball is placed at the return side 15-yard line.
• If a player on the return team touches the ball and it goes out of bounds, the ball is spotted where it went out of bounds.
• If a team wishes to run an onside kick, it must indicate this to the official before the play and the two teams will be permitted to line up using traditional NFL rules (i.e. 10 yards apart from the kicking team). There will be no surprise onside kicks.

Current NFL/College Rule

• The NFL kicks off from the 35-yard line, with 5 players on each side of the ball. The ball can be kicked out of the end zone for a touchback or out of bounds and placed at the 40-yard line.
• College also kicks off from the 35-yard line and allows return teams to take a touchback for any kickoff fair caught inside the 25-yard line.

Rationale

• With a goal to eliminate safety issues with kickoffs, the NCAA and NFL created more opportunities for touchbacks. The increase in touchbacks naturally leads to fewer returns which means fewer meaningful plays. The XFL’s proposed rule change will encourage more kick returns while making the play less dangerous by eliminating the 30-yard sprint to collision.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2024 05:10AM by MamaRAMa.