The NFL’s “dynamic kickoff” is here to stay.
The league first implemented the dynamic kickoff in 2024. This offseason, the kickoff rules became permanent.
But there will be a few differences from last season.
Here’s what you need to know about the NFL’s new kickoff rules.
Moving up touchbacks
Under last season’s dynamic kickoff rules, touchbacks were moved from the 25-yard line to the 30-yard line.
This offseason, touchbacks were moved up again for the 2025 season and beyond. Touchbacks will now be placed at the 35-yard line.
In a video shared on X on Thursday by the NFL Football Operations, Troy Vincent called the kickoff return “one of the most exciting plays, if not the most exciting play in the game of football.”
Vincent, the NFL’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations, also said that there were 332 competitive plays on kickoff returns last season and 59 of those plays were for at least 40 yards.
“We want to encourage the return because we feel like we have a play that is one, dynamic, but most importantly, safe,” Vincent said.
Moving up the touchback should decrease the amount of kickoffs that result with the ball being booted out of the endzone, according to CBS Sports.
Onside kicks
Previously, onside kicks were restricted to the fourth quarter.
Now, teams can elect to do an onside kick at any time of the game, but there is one condition.
The kicking team has to be losing in order to kick an onside kick. They also still have to declare that they will be kicking an onside kick.
On Monday, NFL officiating and rules analyst Walt Anderson said the NFL wants to increase the number of onside kicks this season, according to Los Angeles Rams staff writer Wyatt Miller.
“The committee just wants to try that for a year, see if the percentages of recovered onside kicks gets up to a little bit more in the 10-12% range, which is historically where it’s been and the league feels more comfortable,” Anderson said. “The last several years it has been down around the 5% (mark). It’s almost just a no-win play.”
Kickoff alignment
The final change that the NFL made to kickoffs this season is in regards to players’ alignment for onside kicks.
The 10 players on the kicking team, excluding the kicker, are required to line up with their front foot placed on the 35-yard line.
Both of the kicking team’s players’ feet are required to be touching the ground until the kicker kicks the ball, per the NFL Football Operations video.