Three Key Factors You Must Know About The New NFL Kickoff

ORLANDO – It's radical and it's going to seem wrong to the senses at first so the NFL's new hybrid kickoff, which was adopted Tuesday, may take a little getting used to.

It might have to be an acquired taste for you.

But the NFL loves it and that's not just because 29 of 32 teams voted to approve the change.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 15: Special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi talks with strong safety Vonn Bell #24 of the New Orleans Saints ahead of the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 15, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

NFL Coaches Love New Rule

"We've taken a play that's essentially been dying over the course of the last few years in our opinion, and we revived it," said New Orleans Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, who co-authored the proposal along with Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel.  

"We're excited to see it," NFL competition committee chair Rich McKay said.

"It's great day for special teams, no doubt about it," Fassel added.

"LFG," another special teams coach texted OutKick.

So what do you need to know about this new rule? 

Three major things:

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 11: Place kicker Harrison Butker #7 of the Kansas City Chiefs kicks the opening kickoff during Super Bowl LVIII against the San Fransisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

Get Familiar With Changes

1. Start with the rules themselves.

During its trial period in the 2024 season, kickers will continue to kick from their own 35-yard line. But the other 10 players on the kickoff coverage team will line up at the receiving team's 40-yard line. 

At least nine players on the return team must line up between the 35- and 30-yard lines. And either one or two players can line up in the "landing zone" between the goal line and the 20-yard line.

Rizzi said the typical return formation will be a "7-2-2," meaning seven players up front, two right behind them, and then the two returners in the landing zone.

No one other than the kicker and returner(s) can move until the ball hits the ground or hits a player inside the landing zone. Touchbacks will be marked at the 30-yard line, and no fair catches are allowed. Balls that do not land in the landing zone will be placed at the 40-yard line.

Onside kicks are out of the game until the fourth quarter. A team wishing to use the onside kick must be trailing and will have to inform officials of its intent to use the play. The teams would then line up in the NFL's traditional formation.

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 15:  head coach Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears talks to General Manager Ryan Poles before an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field on October 15, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)

Front Offices Must Go To Work

2. This changes player acquisition.

Teams across the NFL are going to have to recalibrate their draft boards to account for the added value of possible core special teams players.

The NFL expects to add 800-900 plays from this rule that are live rather than merely touchbacks. There will be no hiding poor special teams players. So teams that maybe had only a couple of core special teams players will need to find a couple more.

And those three or four core special steamers will have to be very good at their specialty, or it may cost their teams field position (at best) and points (at worst).

FOXBOROUGH, MA - JANUARY 07: New York Jets wide receiver Xavier Gipson (82) fields a punt during a game between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets on January 7, 2024, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

You'll Know Returners' Names

3. Kickoff returner value will increase.

Fassel said it will actually "skyrocket," because of the number of times the returner will have his hands on the football. 

Consider that in 2023, there were 1,970 touchbacks. There were 92 fair catches. If this new rule built to encourage returns cuts those numbers by half, there will be nearly 1,000 new live plays in the league next season.

Some returners could get a chance to return the football 40 or 50 times in a season. 

Those returners could account for 1,000-1,250 yards by conservative estimates. And that makes them valuable weapons.

"This is going to be must-see TV," Rizzi said. "Whether you like it or don't like it, you're going to watch it. You're not going to be like in the Super Bowl where there was 13 touchbacks and 12 of them kicked out of the end zone.

"Your favorite returner … you're going to want to watch those guys touch the ball."