The NFL opens the 2025 season Thursday, when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), and with it comes an assortment of rule changes and points of emphasis that will undoubtedly enter the public discussion through the next five months.
The league has tweaked its kickoff, hoping to generate a much higher return rate. Its competition committee has worked to make overtime fairer, employed technology to support its on-field officials and warned players that it will be vigilant in disciplining them for violations of the league's sportsmanship rules.
And after months of debate, the league decided that the Eagles' tush push short-yardage play would remain legal — for at least one more season. A proposal to ban it fell two votes shy of approval.
Here is a guide for what fans need to know, with comments from the NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller, who oversees player health and safety, and NFL officiating rules analyst Walt Anderson.
In 2024, the NFL made dramatic rules changes to incentivize returning kickoffs. However, the leaguewide return rate of 32.8% was still the league's lowest since at least 2000, and the touchback rate of 64.3% was the league's highest over the same period.
This spring, they made those rules permanent and — after seeing data that showed it had helped power a 43% reduction in concussion rates on kickoff plays — owners agreed to move the touchback from the 30-yard line to the 35. In theory, that shift will further incentivize the kicking team to put the ball in play — and generate a return from the receiving team — rather than drill it deep in the end zone for a touchback.
Will 5 yards really change decision-making? Denver Broncos special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi,
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