Kickoffs in NFL games are going to look much, much different next season from what fans are accustomed to.
NFL owners on Monday voted 29-3 in favor of a major rule change that will alter the kickoff play. The new format is based on the XFL model, with the goal being to increase the number of kick returns while limiting the risk of injuries.
Under the new rule, 10 players on the kicking team and at least nine players on the receiving team must line up five yards apart from one another at the receiving team’s 40-yard line and 35-yard line, respectively. The kicker will still kick off from his own 35-yard line, but players are not permitted to move until the ball either reaches or is picked up by a player in the landing zone, which is defined as the area between the receiving team’s 20-yard line and the goal line.
If the kick goes out of bounds or lands short of the landing zone, the receiving team will automatically get the ball at their own 40-yard line. If the ball lands inside the landing zone and then bounces into the end zone, the receiving team will have a touchback at their own 20-yard line. If the ball is kicked into the end zone on the fly and either goes through the end zone or is downed, the receiving team will get a touchback at the 30-yard line.
The diagrams below illustrate what the new format will look like, with up to two returners lined up inside the landing zone and everyone else (aside from the kicker) lined up at the receiving team’s 35- and 40-yard lines.
And here is a video from the XFL that shows the new kickoff.
No fair catches will be allowed, so a ball that lands in the landing zone and remains there or is fielded by a player is live and must be returned.
The onside kick rules have also changed. Onside kicks will only be allowed in the fourth quarter by the team that is trailing. Said team must declare that they are attempting an onside kick. You can read more details about that here.
Only 20% of kickoffs and free kicks (after safeties) were returned last season. The goal with the new rules is to encourage returns while avoiding the high-speed collisions that have led to significant injuries in the past.
We have seen some kickoff rule proposals in recent years that did not pass.
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