NFL owners pass rule to place ball at 25-yard line following fair catches on kickoffs [View all]

NFL owners voted on Tuesday to approve a resolution that allows players to fair catch on kickoffs with the resulting possession beginning at the team's own 25-yard line.

The new rule specifies that the fair catch off a free kick (safety or kickoff) must occur behind the team's 25-yard line in order for the ball to be placed at the 25.

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The rule change will be for one year only, with the league citing "player safety" as a reason for its proposal.

"The kickoff play for us has been a play that has had a lot of changes for us over the years, all really driven by health and safety," Rich McKay, chairman of the NFL's competition committee, told NFL Network's Judy Battista. "The concussion rate on the play has gone up. It's gone up because the ball is being returned more by kicks that are being hung inside the 5-yard line. College made this rule change in maybe 2018 or 2019. We looked at their data and said, you know what, this is the right thing to do now."

https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-owners-pass-rule-to-place-ball-25-yard-line-fair-catch-kickoff