The 2024 NFL season has kicked off, generating excitement among fans, players, coaches, and more. This year, the new kickoff rules are a highlight of the 2024-2025 NFL season, designed to enhance the thrill of returns while prioritizing player safety.
Last season, the NFL had the lowest rate of kickoff returns in history, so the league wanted to revive this important part of the game. They examined how the XFL successfully handled kickoffs and created a new plan to reduce injuries from fast collisions.
Key Changes To The Kickoff Format
The biggest change is the introduction of a “landing zone,” which is the area between the receiving team’s end zone and the 20-yard line. This marks a new way to think about how kickoffs will work:
Kickoff Setup: The kicker will still kick from the 35-yard line, but the rest of the kicking team must stand at the receiving team’s 40-yard line. These players cannot move until the ball hits the ground or reaches a player in the landing zone or end zone.
Return Requirements: Players must return any kick that lands in the landing zone. If the ball lands before this zone, the referee will place it on the receiving team’s 40-yard line, ruling it a game delay. When the ball touches the landing zone and then bounces into the end zone, players must either return it or down it. Downing the ball places it at the 20-yard line.
Kicking Penalties: If a kick lands in the end zone but goes out of bounds, the ball will be placed at the 30-yard line, making penalties for kicking teams more severe than before.
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Also Read: 5 Times The NBA Was Forced To Change The Rule Due To Players
Changes To Onside Kicks
Onside kicks have also changed. Now, these kicks can only happen in the fourth quarter, and the kicking team must tell the officials they plan to do it. This change removes some of the surprises that make onside kicks exciting.
If the kicking team does not touch the onside kick and it goes past the setup zone, officials will assess a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the kicking team, and the receiving team will take possession at the 20-yard line. However, there is no limit to how many onside kick attempts a team can make as long as they announce each one.
The main purpose of these new rules is to increase the number of kickoff returns and significantly lower the chances of injuries from high-speed collisions in the NFL. Early preseason results showed promise, as players returned 70.5% of kickoffs, up from 54.8% in the previous season. Players made 18 returns exceeding 40 yards—the highest number in ten years—though none scored touchdowns on these returns.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated, “We put the new kickoff in for the year, and we’ll evaluate it for the entire year.” This trial period will help the league understand how these changes affect the game’s excitement and player safety.
Also Read: NFL’s New Rules For 2024 Season: Everything You Need To Know
