The NFL continues to implement new rules to improve the viewership experience and ensure player safety. This offseason is no different.
On Wednesday the league released an explanation as to the changes that will be put in place for kickoffs. The kickoff rules have been highly disputed with many believing the outdated tradition should be removed permanently. The new changes, however, surround the penalty enforcement rules on kickoffs after touchdowns and trys.
Per a recent piece from Mike Florio on Pro Football Talk, the sportswriter touched on the updates rule changes ans how it will effect the game.
“As it stands, penalties happening during a touchdown play would be enforced only on the try, and penalties happening during the try would result in movement of the kicker but not the other 21 members of the new kickoff configuration,” wrote Florio. He went on to say that per a source, the NFL has discussed making changes to these rules in their recent meetings.
Penalty enforcement provisions of proposed kickoff rule could be tweaked during league meetings. https://t.co/jjZJY17y70
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 21, 2024
Nothing is final yet but any changes to the current format could create havoc on the field, and even an unfair advantage for certain players that can use the rule to their advantage.
“If, for example, the penalty on a touchdown or a try is enforced at the start of the next drive, what happens if the kick return results in a touchdown? Will it be known even before the kick that a touchdown would be wiped off the board?” added Florio.
During the offseason, the league is looking to address several rule changes including the tush-push, the controversial hip-drop and a new kickoff format.
