When the NFL proposed changing the rules for kickoffs this offseason, they cited health and safety as the reason for the adjustment and the proposal was approved in a vote by all 32 teams.
Any kickoff fair caught inside the 25-yard-line will now be considered a touchback and the ball will go on the 25-yard-line to start the next offensive series. During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday, NFL Chief Medical Officer Allen Sills said that the change is unlikely to be the last one made to the play.
Sills said that he sees this year’s change as a half-measure as the league tries to limit concussions — Sills said 15 percent of concussions occurred on kickoffs last season — in the years to come.
“This year’s rule, I look at it as a stopgap. It is an interim step while we try and figure out something better for the long term,” Sills said.
Sills confirmed that the NFL has spoken with the XFL about that league’s kickoff as part of their research into alternatives to the traditional play.
