The NFL has changed a lot over the years, and one would have a hard time finding a consensus on whether some of the new rules have been good or bad for the league. President Donald Trump recently took to social media to express his disapproval of the new “dynamic kickoffs” instituted in the 2024-2025 regular season.
“The NFL has to get rid of that ridiculous looking new Kickoff Rule,” he wrote on Truth Social this past Monday (Sept. 15). “How can they make such a big and sweeping change so easily and quickly. It’s at least as dangerous as the ‘normal’ kickoff, and looks like hell. The ball is moving, and the players are not, the exact opposite of what football is all about.”
In true Trump fashion, he continued with unfiltered dismissiveness and a side of patriotism. “‘Sissy’ football is bad for America, and bad for the NFL!” the 79-year-old politician added. “Who comes up with these ridiculous ideas? It’s like wanting to ‘roll back’ the golf ball so it doesn’t go (nearly!) as far. Fortunately, college football will remain the same, hopefully forever!!”
Kickoffs in the NFL have changed a lot throughout the league’s history, but one of the biggest changes came in 2011 when the kicking team was moved to the 35-yard line. This came at the expense of exciting returns, potentially for touchdowns, and made the play more of a formality than anything, as most teams would simply kneel for touchbacks in their end zone.
At the beginning of the 2024 regular season, the NFL introduced “dynamic kickoffs” to promote more returns. Kickers kick the ball from their 35-yard line, and the other 10 players on the kicking team line up on the receiving team’s 40-yard line. As for the receiving time, nine of their 11 players must line up in the “setup zone” between their 35 and 30-yard lines, with at least six having their front foot on the 35-yard line. The 10 non-kickers on the kicking team, and the nine players on the receiving team in the setup zone, cannot move until the ball hits the ground or a player in the landing zone or endzone fields it.
Now, what is the landing zone? That is a designated area between the receiving team’s goal line and their 20-yard line. If the kicker fails to kick the ball into that area, the receiving team will automatically be spotted at the 40-yard line to start their drive. Otherwise, any ball that falls in the landing zone must be returned or downed. If a ball is kicked into the landing zone and then bounces into the endzone while staying inbounds, it must be returned or downed; however, there is an incentive for attempting a return in that instance, as a touchback would only spot the receiving team at their 20.
If the ball is kicked directly into the end zone and stays in bounds, the receiving team can choose to return it or down the ball; in that instance, a touchback would bring them to the 35-yard line. The same applies if a ball is kicked into the end zone and then bounces out of bounds. These changes have been a positive for the league, as week one of the 2025-2026 NFL regular season saw over 75% of kickoffs that week resulting in returns.
This past weekend, fans witnessed the pros and cons of the dynamic kickoff, depending on which side they stood on, fandom-wise. The Miami Dolphins’ Malik Washington ran back a punt return 74 yards for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter in their matchup against the New England Patriots, and the Pats’ Antonio Gibson fired back with a 90-yard kick return for a touchdown directly after. If the game had abided by old kickoff rules, the Pats likely would have settled for a touchback and not provided that exciting moment for fans, nor the momentum boost for themselves. The Pats ultimately defeated their division rival 33-27.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks game, however, showed how important it was to fully understand the dynamic kickoff rules. Steelers returner Kaleb Johnson watched a ball fall into the landing zone and roll past him into the end zone, seemingly thinking that the play would be called dead or the ball would roll out of bounds. Seahawks gunner George Holani knew the ball was live and he had a chance to make a big play, so he sprinted into the endzone and fell on the ball, allowing the Seahawks to score. They pushed their 17-14 lead to 24-14 early in the fourth quarter of what was otherwise a tightly contested game, and went on to beat the Steelers 31-14.