As part of the potential changes to NFL kickoffs, teams would only be permitted to try onside kicks while trailing in the fourth quarter and will be required to declare in advance those attempts, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
They would potentially be allowed to use an unbalanced formation with six players to one side of the ball and four to the other.
Tom Pelissero @TomPelisseroIf the kickoff team declares they're attempting an onside kick, they potentially could be allowed to utilize an unbalanced (6x4) formation, raising odds of recovery. Just 5.2% were recovered in 2023 and there just two surprise onside kicks, thanks largely to run-ups being banned.
It would end the possibility of a surprise onside kick—or any onside kicks before the fourth quarter—but it may be a compromise the league is willing to accept.
The NFL has continued to tweak the kickoff, hoping to make it safer. But the result was that kick returns have trended toward extinction—to the chagrin of players and coaches alike and only 22 percent of kickoffs were returned this season.
Pelissero outlined the other potential changes coming to the play. The first would be a "setup zone," where the "kick and return teams would line up on the receiving team's 40- and 35-yard lines, respectively, and not leave until the ball is touched or reaches the 'target zone' (20-yard line to goal line)."
Touchbacks would also be changed. If the ball was kicked into the end zone, the receiving team would now receive the ball on their own 35-yard line rather than getting it at the 25. If the ball was kicked into the target zone and rolled into the end zone, the receiving team would get the ball at their own 20-yard line.
Importantly, if the ball does not cross into the "target zone" in the air, it will be treated similarly to an out-of-bounds penalty and the receiving team will get the ball at its own 40-yard-line. That should eliminate teams attempting to squib kick the ball into the end zone.
Albert Breer @AlbertBreer• No one but the kicker and return men can move until the ball is touched by the returner.<br><br>• If the ball doesn't cross the 20 in the air, it's treated as out of bounds, goes to the 40.<br><br>• If kicker kicks it into the end zone on the fly, touchback comes out to the 35.<br><br>(cont.)
Albert Breer @AlbertBreerSo this is why, again, as Tom said, the onside kick rules needed to be adjusted. The hope is it'll eliminate the 25-yard headstart to collision that the current space and speed create, and flip the number of touchbacks-to-returns, which is 80/20 now.
The potential new kickoff rules were originally the brainchild of the XFL, which were implemented in its return back in 2020 and used again in 2023.
"I love how they do it," Minnesota Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels told ESPN's Kevin Seifert in August. "It's a guaranteed play every single time. No touchbacks. And you're not getting those collisions from players running 30 or 40 yards down field. What's not to love about that? You're getting the enjoyment for fans who get to see an actual play."
Sam Schwartzstein, who created that kickoff system, told Seifert in August that 93 percent of XFL kickoffs were returned in the 2023 season and no concussions were incurred on those plays. That's the sort of math the NFL can get behind, even if it means altering onside kicks.
