For the 2024 season, there may be some modifications to the NFL’s kickoff and fumble policies.
In his remarks on Wednesday, NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent described the kickoff as a “dead ceremonial play today,” according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. He stated that the league will investigate possible modifications, but Pelissero implied that it “sounds like the one-year experiment encouraging fair catches will be modified, if not going away entirely.”
A rule allowing kick returners to call fair catches on kickoffs even while they are on the field of play was put into place by the league. By doing this, the offense is placed at its own 25-yard line and the kickoff is declared a touchback.
It is worth noting that kick returns are risky plays that have the potential to cause injuries. They can, however, also result in developments that change the course of the game and have long been a part of it.
Kick returns also helped players like Devin Hester and Dante Hall become well-known figures.
However, not many have used the new touchback rule this season.
As per Fox Sports, kickoffs have resulted in a touchback in at least 70% of NFL games for all but five teams; the Minnesota Vikings lead the league with 84.2 percent of kickoffs ending in a touchback. The only team below the 60 percent mark is the Green Bay Packers (56.3 percent).
Not only that, but according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Vincent also mentioned that the league is planning to talk about possibly changing the rule that grants the opposing team a touchback whenever the ball is fumbled out of bounds in the end zone.
Such a play always elicits responses and debates from spectators and analysts, particularly when it occurs in a stand-alone or primetime game. After all, if the offense fumbles the ball out of bounds anywhere else on the field, it still has possession.
One could argue that having distinct rules for the end zone would be counterproductive, though, because there are additional regulations there regarding things like forward progress when crossing the goal line and possession.
Those rules may change the following year, depending on where one stands in the debate over plays like this.
