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League owners have opted to radically alter the kickoff rule, as suggested by the NFL competition committee last week, in one of the biggest rule adjustments in the league's history.
The league believes that by adopting a kickoff method based on what was previously employed in the XFL, it will improve returns while reducing injuries.
Team owners voted on this decision at the league's annual meeting in Orlando. The vote succeeded 29-3, according to a report from CBS Sports' NFL insider Jonathan Jones on Tuesday. The only three teams who voted against the proposed regulation were the Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco 49ers. The proposal only required 24 out of 32 votes to pass.
The newly authorized kickoff regulation will be trialed for the 2024 season before being up for renewal in 2025.
All things considered, it's a lengthy set of new regulations that players, spectators and even officials will need to get used to. In the event that things don't work out, the league has given itself room to maneuver in time for the 2025 season and beyond.
Why has the NFL changed the kickoff rule?
The revised kickoff procedure's primary objective is to promote more kick returns while maintaining player safety.
The league hopes to eliminate or drastically lower the injury rate from collisions while simultaneously increasing the kickoff return rate with the new kickoff regulations. Kickoffs have historically resulted in a bigger percentage of player injuries because of the speed and distance covered in a brief period of time.
Injuries were reduced and returns went upward in 2023 when the rule was tested in the XFL. The league wants to accomplish the same thing with the changes in 2024.
This summer's preseason will see the introduction of the new NFL kickoff regulations, which will also be in effect for the 2024 regular season and postseason.
What is the difference between NFL's old and new kickoff rules?
NFL fans will witness significant modifications to the kickoff process in 2024, beginning with the opening play of each game.
The new rule specifies that 10 players on the kicking team and at least nine players on the receiving team are lined up just 5 yards apart and won't start running until the ball goes back to the returner, in contrast to how kickoffs were previously conducted under the old rule.
This implies that players won't be colliding at full speed any more, which is thought to have contributed to the high number of injuries sustained during kickoffs in the recent past.
The kicker will also start the kick from his own 35-yard line under the new rule, with the other 10 members of the kicking team on the other team's 40-yard line. At least nine blockers for the receiving team will start on their own 35-yard line.
The kicker is the only player who moves in the event there are any penalties during the kickoff. Everyone else will remain in the same place.
