The NFL is considering introducing a rule from the XFL, as it continues to seek ways to enhance player safety during games. It is looking at potentially incorporating the kickoff rules used by the XFL, according to The Washington Post’s Mark Maske.
Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive vice president of communications, public affairs, and policy, shared that the league has been studying the kickoff extensively.
“We have analyzed the XFL rule, which you know is a bit of a departure from ours. … We’ve analyzed that rule to see whether or not there’s things that we can learn from there,” Miller said.
Currently, in the NFL, teams kick off from their own 35-yard line, and players on the kicking team can start running after the ball has been kicked.
Under the XFL model, the kicker lines up at their own 30-yard line, and the other 10 members of the kickoff team line up at the opponent’s 35-yard line—this is five yards away from the returning team’s blockers. Only the kicker and one returner are allowed to move until the ball is touched.
The XFL kickoff rule was implemented when the league re-launched in 2020.
The NFL made a change to the kickoff rules for this season, allowing players to signal for a fair catch on a kick inside the 25-yard line, which results in a touchback with the ball being placed at the 25-yard line. This change aimed to reduce the frequency of kickoff returns.
Regarding the fair-catch rule, Jeff Miller told Maske that it is neither safer nor more dangerous. The fair-catch rule was approved for one year, and its status for the 2024 season is currently uncertain.
