As we previously reported, the NFL failed to approve all three of the [Detroit Lions](https://www.prideofdetroit.com/)’ proposed rule changes for the 2025 season, but there is some hope that amendments to two of their propositions could be passed before the start of the season.
The Lions’ proposed rule change to eliminate automatic first downs on illegal contact and defensive holding penalties was rejected and there are no current plans to discuss it further at May’s meetings. But both other Lions proposals were tabled for that later meeting, and the NFL talked about some of the amendments they may consider moving forward.
The first proposal that was table was Detroit looking to change the seeding of playoff formatting. Under the Lions’ proposal division winners would still get an automatic playoff bid, but seeding for the playoffs would be based on overall record and division winners would not be guaranteed a home playoff game.
Rich McKay, Falcons CEO and the longest standing member of the NFL Competition Committee, discussed an alternate stipulation of the rule that is being considered and could be voted on in May.
“What if you said: win the division you get a home game and you keep it the way it is, unless you’re record if .500 or lower. Then you don’t,” McKay explain. “I think there’s some talk about that. So I think people want to keep looking at it. That doesn’t mean it will come back up and get passed in May, but it very well may be a different discussion if the season is ever extended. But I think it was a long discussion, it was good discussion.”
The other proposal from the Lions was to discount players who were placed on injured reserve prior to the season against each team’s 90-man roster. Currently, teams are only allowed to have 90 players during these season, adding in the 53-man roster, the practice squad, the practice squad IR, and the regular IR squads.
McKay admitted that teams were getting close to this 90-man limits lately, particularly toward the end of the season.
“(Teams) used to be at 80 total roster spots ever, now it’s crept all the way up to 85. And there were some teams that got to 87 and 88. And the idea is would be we don’t want to have playoff games where that roster limit becomes a problem.
However, McKay believes there’s hope in passing a different rule change that could help teams out here: expanding the roster limit to 95 players after the trade deadline.
“That kinda solves the problem,” McKay said.
The next league meetings take play on May 20-21 in Minneapolis. We’ll see then if any of the Lions’ proposals—or amendments to their proposals—will be adopted for the 2025 season then .