The NFL’s dynamic kickoff was introduced in 2024, with the rule makers changing the way that games were restarted. That naturally led to some confusion ahead of the season about how it would all play out on the gridiron, and what benefits teams could gain from the change.
In the 2025 Annual League Meeting, the NFL ownership decided to extend the dynamic kickoff experience further, meaning that it’s now here to stay. After a full season of feedback about the rule change, there has only been one minor tweak to it moving forward as touchbacks will now be moved to the 35-yard line from the 30-yard.
The Experiment Is Done
The NFL is the most popular football league in the world, and its influence has spread far beyond the field. From Esports to casino gaming, the tournament has made its way into all kinds of entertainment. You’ll find slots like NFL Super Bowl Jackpots featured on the licensed US gambling sites, and some UK operators even offer casino promotions that you can use on eligible NFL-themed games. With a league as established as the NFL, changing the rules isn’t exactly easy. No one really knew what to expect from NFL kickoffs in 2024, as there were so many unknowns about the new dynamic rule, including how special teams were going to be coached.
There’s no way to know exactly how they will perform until they are seen in action. Only when the numbers are crunched can things be deemed a hit, and it seems that is what the NFL Ownership thinks about the dynamic kickoff which was called “a tremendous success”.
New 35-yard Line Rule
There was always likely to be an alteration to the touchback rule coming after the first season of the dynamic kickoff, as it was part of the original rule-change proposals. The shifting of the ball a further five yards up the field of play is designed to act as a greater deterrent against touchbacks. Now that teams on the receiving end of one will gain a greater advantage, it’s something that the NFL hopes will lead to even more returns in the upcoming season.
The Rules Stay the Same
Fans are not going to see any other changes to the dynamic kickoff rule. The kick-off will still happen at the 35-yard line, with the 10 other players from the kicking team lining up on the opposition’s 40-yard line.
The receiving team will still have to have at least seven players within their 35- and 30-yard lines, known as the “set-up zone”. Up to two receivers can begin in what’s known as the landing zone.
After the ball has been kicked, neither the kicking team, nor the receiving team’s players in the set-up zone can become active until the ball hits the ground, is received by a player in the landing zone, or the ball goes into the end zone. There were no changes made to the current onside kick rules, but that’s likely to be up for scrutiny at a later date.
Was the Dynamic Kickoff a Success?
The goal of the dynamic kick change was to help protect players from high impacts, as well as to try to add a bit of life into what had devolved into little more than a ceremonial play. The player safety and welfare aspect came through the restriction of player’s movements, cutting down on full-speed collisions that would typically happen on traditional kickoffs. Because the players from the opposing teams now start closer together, there is a greater emphasis on blocking than hitting.
The rule was also designed to incentivize exciting returns. The NFL did get what they wanted out of the implemented changes because, in total, there were an extra 332 kickoff returns made last season, more than a 10% rise from the previous campaign. The 2024/25 NFL season also saw the highest number of big plays (returns of at least 40 yards) since 2016.
The Dissenters Get Aggressive
The Green Bay Packers were dissenters over the new NFL kickoff rule, which was passed by a 29-3 vote last year. The Packers voted against it, believing that the rule changes needed trialling first, which at the time was strange because the Packers had the perfect returning weapon in Keisean Nixon.
The Packers’ kickoff heat map was all over the place last season, but along with the Cowboys and Commanders, they tended to be aggressive with getting their kickoffs in the landing zone.
The rule also affected the team’s stats. The percentage of kickoff returns increased from 25.3% in 2023 to 28.2% in 2024.
On average, the Packers put the ball within the 10-yard zone the most, but they weren’t afraid to send it into the end zone when necessary, too. In contrast, teams like the Cardinals and Rams exclusively targeted touchbacks, but the Packers produced the fourth-fewest touchbacks in the NFL from kickoffs, at just 45.92%.
Brandon McManus did the lion’s share of kicking duties for Green Bay, averaging 63.5 yards per kick from 61 kicks, and 27 of those resulted in touchbacks (44.3%). Support kicker Brayden Narveson had 33 kickoffs with 17 resulting in touchbacks (51.5%).
The post Dynamic Kickoff Gets a Permanent Spot — How’s It Been Working for the Packers? first appeared on PackersTalk.com Blog Posts and Podcasts.