Philadelphia Eagles yet again, submit NFL rule change to implement 4th and 20 instead of an onside kick

The Philadelphia Eagles have yet again proposed a rule change to allow teams to maintain possession the ball by substituting one 4th and 20 play as alternative to the onside kick.

Philadelphia Eagles alternative to NFL onside kick rule

The #Eagles have officially proposed — again — allowing teams to maintain possession the ball by substituting one fourth-and-20 play as alternative to the onside kick.

This idea has not gained traction in past years. We'll see what happens at this month's league meeting.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 13, 2024

Proposed Rule Change: Allow teams that score a touchdown or field goal to follow it up by taking the ball at their own 20-yard line, and being faced with a 4th and 20. If the scoring team converted the 4th and 20, it would keep the ball and go from there.

This isn’t the first time the Eagles have proposed this type of rule change to the NFL. Last season, the Eagles proposed basically the same thing by allowing teams to attempt a 4th-and-15 play to maintain possession when kicking off. 

They’ll need 24 out of 32 votes for the rule to pass but to date, it has yet to gain enough votes to be implemented by the NFL. 

Here’s the full proposal on the 4th and 20 alternative from the Eagles via Tom Pelissero 

It feels like a drastic change, but the NFL has shown willingness to tweak the game when special teams are involved. From the new kickoff rule that prohibits players from getting a running start on the kickoff team, to changing the extra point distance, the NFL is always looking for ways to spruce up the gameday experience in these moments.

If the NFL is committed to making the game more exciting, implementing this rule is a no-brainer.

The onside kick success rate has plummeted in recent years; teams rarely even try it anymore. Plus, if a team wants to maintain possession of the football with the game on the line, why wouldn’t the NFL want said team’s quarterback on the field to make that play rather than the kicker and a bunch of backups scrambling for the football on an onside kick.

In the XFL: Instead of an onside kick, the trailing team can maintain possession with a 4th-and-15 play from its own 25-yard line.

It just worked for the St. Louis BattleHawks.

This was brought to NFL owners in the past but didn't get enough votes.pic.twitter.com/qNP5QukWMy

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 19, 2023

It almost makes too much sense but at the same time, I don’t want to water down the historic 4th and 26 play here in Philadelphia. Who could possibly forget when Donovan McNabb found Freddie Mitchell over the middle for a first down against the Green Bay Packers?

January 11, 2004: 4th and 26.

Donovan McNabb finds Freddie Mitchell (@FMitchell84) down the middle for the 1st down. The Eagles would force OT and win 20-17. pic.twitter.com/FWTkGifohq

— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) January 11, 2021

Maybe that’s why the Eagles are proposing the rule change? Unclear. I do know, that Freddie Mitchell became an Eagles legend because of it, so maybe the rules aren’t meant to be changed to protect “FredEx”.

The Eagles’ proposal also limits teams to using the fourth-and-20 alternative twice in a game, and only when they’re trailing. I doubt the NFL is going to switch things up after years of submitting the new rule with little-to-no movement but we’ll find out during this month’s meetings.

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