Kicking Off 2024 Season: The NFL had adopted a new kickoff play that will hopefully increase viewership and lead to more entertaining kick returns

NFL owners unanimously approved a significant overhaul of the kickoff play during their annual meeting on Tuesday, embracing a format borrowed from the XFL— a spring football league that is thought to be a joke compared to the NFL. The proposal, led by New Orleans Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, received a resounding 29-3 vote of confidence from the owners, surpassing the required 24-vote threshold for approval.

The revamped rules mark the most substantial on-field change for the NFL in years, aiming to address both declining return rates and concerns about player safety, particularly regarding concussions. The new format aims to minimize high-speed collisions by repositioning the majority of players from both the kicking and return teams downfield.

Effective for one year initially, the changes will see kickers continuing to kick from the 35-yard line, while the other 10 players on the kickoff team will line up at the receiving team’s 40-yard line. Meanwhile, at least nine members of the return team will position themselves in a designated “setup zone” between the 35 and 30-yard lines, with up to two returners permitted in a “landing zone” between the goal line and the 20-yard line.

Movement is restricted until the ball either touches the ground or a player within the landing zone. Touchbacks will be placed at the 30-yard line, and fair catches will not be permitted. Teams wishing to attempt an onside kick must notify officials beforehand and adhere to the traditional formation, eliminating surprise onside kicks.

Now instead of going to the bathroom during kickoffs, the NFL is hoping to gain back viewer engagement with more kickoff returns and more action — while still retaining safety precautions.

The proposal mirrors the structure and philosophy of the XFL version, albeit with minor adjustments in player alignment. NFL special teams coaches crafting the new format aim for a return rate of at least 80% in 2024, closer to by the XFL’s 97% return rate.

I believe this plan will heavily favor the offense and increase game scores. Audiences like fast-paced, high-scoring football, however the new kickoff may be too much.

The lack of layers on defense makes it easier for the returner to run through the return line, leaving only the poor kicker to try to stop them. Late in the game, a return touchdown can completely flip the script, and while late-game comebacks are fun to watch, they will become mundane if players are returning the ball for a touchdown every kick, ruining the game’s competitiveness.

Whether the new ruling will be unfair, entertaining or just downright stupid is still speculative, but either way, it will be exciting to see this big of a change within the NFL.