Last season, the NFL piloted a major change to kickoffs, hoping to re-establish one of the game’s most exciting plays. But the new “dynamic kickoff” didn’t reduce touchbacks enough.
So for 2025, the rule has been tweaked. Starting this season, an unreturned ball will be placed at the 35-yard line — just like the original draft of the proposed rule change was written.
“It’s going to change [things],” Kansas City Chiefs assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Dave Toub predicted after Wednesday’s OTA practice. “It’s not going to change the style of the [returner], but it’s going to change how many reps we get — because everybody’s going to kick it into the target zone now.