NFL owners approve massive revamp to kickoff play - ESPN

ORLANDO, Fla. — NFL owners approved a massive revamp of the kickoff play Tuesday, opting, after three days of discussions at the league's annual meeting, for a format that originated in the XFL.

The new alignment rules represent the most significant on-field rule change for the NFL in years and are designed to reverse more than a decade of declining return rates while also lowering concussion rates. In essence, the format will move the majority of the kicking and return teams downfield to minimize high-speed collisions. It will go into effect for one year only in anticipation of possible tweaks over time.

During the 2024 season, kickers will continue to kick from the 35-yard line, but the other 10 players on the kickoff team will line up at the receiving team's 40-yard line. At least nine members of the return team will line up in a «setup zone» between the 35- and 30-yard lines. Up to two returners can line up in a «landing zone» between the goal line and the 20-yard line.

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 will be allowed. In the event a team wants to attempt an onside kick, it will have to inform officials of its intent and would then be allowed to use the NFL's traditional formation. No surprise onside kicks will be allowed.

The proposal follows the structure and philosophy of the XFL version with a slight shift in where the players are aligned. In the XFL, they lined up farther downfield, between the returning team's 30- and 35-yard lines. More than 90% of kickoffs were returned during the XFL's two seasons. NFL special teams coaches who participated in