New NFL Kickoff Rule: What it will look like, everything you need to now

In the ever-changing world of the NFL, we now have a makeover of the kickoff.

The league is always looking to preserve the game and decrease the risk of injuries. Therefore, a proposal for a new kickoff configuration was passed in a Tuesday morning vote.

New NFL Kickoff Ressembles XFL Version

This is what the new NFL kickoff will look like 👀

Thoughts? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/LrmxLG1uSf

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This new plan features the players being organized downfield prior to the kickoff rather than having them sprint there during the play. This adjustment aims to minimize the high-speed collisions and resulting injuries from these plays.

The kicker will remain in the same position before at the 35-yard line, while the other ten players of the kicking team position themselves at the receiving team’s 40-yard line. Meanwhile, a minimum of nine players from the return team will be positioned between their own 35 and 30-yard lines, known as the “setup zone.”

From here, the ball will ideally land between the 20-yard line and the goal line, where the receiving team will have one or two returners. If the ball lands in or out of the end zone, the touchback will be spotted at the 30-yard line. Additionally, if it’s kicked out of bounds, it will be placed at the 40-yard line.

This is where it gets interesting. No one except the kicker and returner(s) can move until the ball is caught or hits the turf. So, there will be a strange stalemate for a few seconds as the ball is in the air and 19-20 players are standing still.

The strangest part of this is that the kicking team will be one to see when the ball touches the ground or the returner catches it, whereas the receiving team is reacting to the kickoff team.

It will be very interesting to see how this plays out this season. I actually don’t mind the change, personally, because it seemed like most kickoffs resulted in touchbacks anyway.

Half the time, I’d run to the bathroom during kickoffs because that felt like a given anyway. With this new implementation by the NFL, it will be intriguing to see how teams approach the draft given this special teams change.