Getty Image / Kirby Lee
Kickoffs in the NFL have become boring and stale. With the legs of kickers bigger than ever, and the kickoff now occurring from the 35-yard-line as opposed to the 30-yard-line, the vast majority of kickoffs are now touchbacks.
There’s a reason it’s set up like that, as the league believes that there’s a higher likelihood of getting hurt on a kickoff compared to other plays. The rules even allow kickoffs to be fair caught in the field of play and brought out to the 25-yard-line.
I don’t think any of us like to see players get injured on any play, let alone on special teams. But, kick returns are electric and can provide some incredible moments.
There’s been speculation that the NFL is looking to get rid of kickoffs, and just give teams the ball on the 25-yard-line. For a variety of reasons, I think that they are reluctant to actually ban them.
But, a good solution may be XFL-style kick-returns. Take a look.
The thought is, by decreasing the momentum and initial collision between the kick coverage team and blockers, injuries will be lessened. I think there’s definitely some merit to that line of thinking.
The NFL seems intrigued by the idea too. Apparently, they’ve discussed the idea with some seriousness, and it could even come to a vote at upcoming league meetings. That’s according to Judy Battista, a columnist for NFL.com.
Competition Committee discussed at length the XFL kickoff. A source says there could be a proposal for a March vote on a version of the XFL model as a way to address the kickoff — too few returns this season. NFL wants to keep the return in the game, while making the play safer.
— Judy Battista (@judybattista) February 25, 2024
I’m not sure how NFL fans would react to this kind of change. But, I think if the NFL framed it as “we’re either eliminating kickoffs, or we’re going to go to XFL-style kickoffs”, it may be warmly received.