NFL owners borrow an XFL format to revise kickoffs: The hope is that they’ll be safer and more exciting
NFL owners meeting in Orlando approved new kickoff rules Tuesday that are designed to increase return rates while also reducing the chance of high-impact injuries.
The changes, which take effect in the upcoming season, are modeled after the format used by the XFL. The expectation is that further alterations could be made after one year.
Under the new rules, the kicker will kick from his own 35-yard line while his teammates line up at the receiving team’s 40-yard line. Nine players on the receiving team will line up at their own 35, with two players near the goal line as returners.
On the kicking team, only the kicker can move until the ball hits the ground in the designated “landing zone” inside the receiving team’s 20-yard line.
If the kick doesn’t go that far, the ball will be placed at the receiving team’s 40-yard line. The receiving team will get the ball at its own 30 in the instance of a touchback.
By putting the majority of players closer together, and without that running start, high-speed collisions are less likely, according to the league.
The plan was reviewed and refined by the 32 NFL special teams coordinators before being presented to the league Competition
Committee and, ultimately, owners this week.
As the NFL has modified the kickoff in the past decade to reduce concussions, the return rate has fallen. Just under 22 percent of kickoffs were returned last season, and ESPN reported Tuesday that the goal for 2024 is about 80 percent.
Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris told The Athletic that the newly designed kickoff will be intriguing.
“I think it’s important for us to find ways to bring excitement back for our fans and us,” he said.
“And also to make special teams coaches more relevant, right? We don’t want to lose the relevance in any position of what we’re doing.”
SCHEDULE NOTES
Christmas Day game (or games): The NFL is scheduling at least one game for Christmas Day 2024, even though it falls on a Wednesday, The
Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution, told the publication that the league will play on Wednesday because the “fans clearly spoke” through their viewership. The three Christmas Day games in 2023, played on a Monday, each were among the top 10 in ratings in the regular season, per the report.
ESPN said there will be two games on Dec. 25, with the matchups to be determined.
The last time a game was played on a Wednesday was in 2021, when a COVID-19 outbreak forced the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers to delay their planned Thanksgiving game until the following Wednesday.
This will be the fifth straight season the NFL has played on Christmas, encroaching on a sports day previously dominated by the NBA.
Two games on a Friday: The NFL will play on every day of the week but Tuesday this season.
In addition to its “Black Friday” game — a budding tradition that began last season — the league announced it will schedule a Week 1 game on Friday, Sept. 6, to played in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and streamed exclusively on NBC’s Peacock. That will mark the first time in more than 50 years that the NFL has played on Friday night of opening weekend.
The Philadelphia Eagles have been designated as the home team for the Brazil game, but their opponent has not been announced. The Dolphins have been discussed as a possible opponent.
Hall of Fame Game: Chicago and Houston will meet in the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. Three former members of the Bears —
Devin Hester, Steve McMichael and Julius Peppers — and Andre
Johnson from the Texans are among the members of the organization’s 2024 class.The game is set for Aug. 1 in Canton, Ohio, with the Hall of Fame enshrinement on Aug. 3.
ELSEWHERE
Bills: Reserve rnning back Damien Harris, who appeared in six games last season after spending four seasons with New England, announced his retirement. Harris, 27, was a thirdround pick by New England in 2019 after his college career at Alabama.
Giants: Coach Brian Daboll said he is “looking into” calling the offensive plays in the upcoming season. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka handled those duties during Daboll’s first two seasons with the team.
Speaking at the owners meeting Tuesday, Daboll, 48, said it might be time for a change.
“I think there’s 20 head coaches at this point in time that call plays in the league [either offensively or defensively] . ... There might be a little bit more,” he said. “I’ve been doing a bunch of research, but no decision has been made. I’m still going through that process, thinking about what we need to do.”
Before taking over the Giants in 2022, Daboll called the plays as Buffalo’s offensive coordinator for four seasons from 2018-21.
Daboll also has been offensive coordinator for the Chiefs (2012), Dolphins (2011) and Cleveland (2009-10).
Daboll doesn’t appear to be motivated by a dissatisfaction with Kafka, who was rewarded with the additional title of assistant head coach last month.
The Giants were 9-7-1 in 2022 but slumped to 6-11 during a 2023 season derailed by starting quarterback Daniel Jones’ torn ACL. The New York offense finished 29th in the NFL in scoring with just 15.6 points per game.
Titans: Newly acquired cornerback L’Jarius
Sneed agreed to terms on a four-year, $76.4 million contract, NFL Network reported. Sneed, 27, arrived in a weekend trade with Kansas City that netted a 2025 third-round pick for the Chiefs plus a 2024 seventh-round pick swap.
At $19.1 million per season, Sneed’s new deal ranks seventh in average annual value among NFL cornerbacks, per Spotrac. NFL Network reported that the terms include $55 million in guaranteed money and a $20 million signing bonus.