Field Gulls · Mar 27, 2019
NFL Rule Changes 2019: “4th and 15” onside kick alternative rejected by owners
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesAll of the talk about an onside kick alternative possibly added to the NFL rulebook for 2019 was for naught.
At the annual League Meeting, NFL team owners voted on the Denver Broncos’ proposed rule that would give teams a one-time, 4th quarter option to eschew the kickoff and try and convert 4th and 15 from your own 35. Convert and you keep the ball, fail to convert and obviously the opponents get the ball back.
For the proposal to pass, it needed “yes” votes from 24 of 32 owners. We don’t know how the voting breakdown went, but we do know enough of them rejected it that the onside kick stays, and 4th and 15 is shelved.
