NFL kickoffs in 2024 could look far differently than ever before. After the league began drifting towards making kickoffs a non-play, the majority of them touchbacks, the league is finding ways to increase returns while decreasing the car crashes that led to a high rate of concussions.
As tweeted by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the NFL is proposing two key kickoff changes.
1. Onside kicks only allowed in the fourth quarter and must be declared
2. Modification of kickoff alignment, adopting similar rules to XFL that put coverage and return team within 5-yards of each other.