The NFL’s New Kickoff Rule Is a success — And It’s Not Even Close
For years, the NFL kickoff was basically a ceremonial jog to the 25-yard line.
You blinked, someone signaled touchback, and we moved on with our lives.
Now? It’s back to being football.
When the league introduced the “dynamic kickoff” in 2024, the stated goal was simple: increase returns while reducing high-speed collisions. In 2025, the tweak — moving the touchback spot from the 30 to the 35 — was the final nudge. And the numbers make it clear.
This thing worked.
Return Rates are on the rise
Let’s start with the obvious.
In 2023, the final year before the new alignment, kickoff returns were dying. The return rate sat at 21.8%, the lowest in league history. Teams were incentivized to boot it deep and take the free field position.
In 2024, the first year of the new rule, that number jumped to 32.8%. Not revolutionary, but a clear shift. There were 919 total returns — up, but still modest.
Then came 2025.
With the touchback moved to the 35-yard line, the return rate skyrocketed to 74.5% — more than double the year prior and the highest mark since 2008. There were 2,076 returns, an increase of 1,157 from 2024.
Through Week 4, it was 78.3%. Through Week 7, 79.3%.
That’s not a minor adjustment. That’s a structural change to the game.
More Action, Better Field Position, Slightly More Scoring
Returns weren’t just happening — they were meaningful.
In 2025, average starting field position after a return was around the 29.4-yard line. That’s competitive with a touchback, but now you’re earning it.
Average return yardage dipped slightly from 27.6 in 2024 to 25.9 in 2025, but that still ranks as the second-highest mark in league history. Teams weren’t sacrificing efficiency for volume.
There were also 137 fewer punts than in 2024. Drives were extended. Field position battles were altered.
Scoring ticked up modestly from 22.9 to 23.0 points per team per game. It’s not a massive jump, but it reflects what the eye test showed: more plays, more stress on coverage units, more opportunities.
And importantly — more football.
The Injury Conversation
The entire premise of the new formation was reducing high-speed collisions. By compressing space and eliminating full-speed run-ups, the league aimed to lower impact severity.
The data tells a layered story.
In 2024, per-return concussion rates decreased compared to 2022. There were 8 concussions on kick returns — roughly 1 per 115 returns. That suggested the structural change was doing its job in terms of impact mitigation.
In 2025, however, there were 35 concussions on kick returns, roughly 1 per 59 returns.
On the surface, that’s concerning. And it should be monitored.
But the key variable is exposure.
Returns more than doubled. When total plays double, total injuries can rise even if the per-play mechanics are safer than traditional full-speed collisions. Early 2025 per-play injury rates were reportedly consistent with recent seasons — the spike in totals was largely volume-driven.
That distinction matters.
This is not the old wedge-and-wrecking-ball kickoff. It’s a constrained-space play with far less runway. The league anticipated that more returns would naturally increase total exposure.
They wanted action back and they got it.
Why This Is Good for the Game
The kickoff is no longer a placeholder between commercials, it’s a strategic phase again.
Roster construction now accounts for true return specialists. Special teams coordinators have relevance beyond punting mechanics. The opening play of each half actually carries weight.
And in a league that constantly balances entertainment value with player safety, this is one of the rare rule changes that legitimately shifts both.
Is it perfect? No rule ever is.
Will the league continue adjusting concussion protocols and alignment tweaks? Almost certainly.
But if the goal was fewer dead plays and more competitive returns without reverting to 2010-style collision chaos, the dynamic kickoff accomplished that.
Less touchbacks. More football.
And in a sport built on controlled violence and calculated space, bringing the kickoff back to life — responsibly — is a win.
