The NFL is making another significant change with kickoffs beginning in the 2025 season.
On Tuesday, NFL team owners approved a proposal that will result in moving a touchback on kickoffs to the 35-yard line rather than the 30. The goal with the new rule is to further encourage kick returns.
As ESPN’s Kevin Seifert notes, the NFL projects that moving the touchback spot to the 35-yard line will increase the kick return rate from 33% to more than 60%.
With this touchback spot change, the NFL has been projecting an increase in the return rate from ~33% in 2024 to between 60%-70% in 2025. There are some downstream aspects that could come into play in terms of field position, scoring, game management when you add that many plays. https://t.co/Y9Ph9ZARKk
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) April 1, 2025
Under the new kickoff format that was implemented ahead of last season, any ball that lands inside the “landing zone,” which is defined as the area between the receiving team’s 20-yard line and the goal line, must be returned. If the ball is kicked short of the landing zone or out of bounds, the receiving team is awarded possession at their own 40-yard line.
A ball that lands in the landing zone and rolls into the end zone for a touchback is placed at the 20-yard line. Any ball that lands in the end zone in the air, goes out of the back of the end zone, or is fair caught in the end zone will now result in a touchback at the 35-yard line. That scenario previously gave the offensive team possession at the 30.
The hope with the new touchback spot is that kicking teams will be discouraged from booting the ball through the back of the end zone, resulting in more returnable kicks.
There have been numerous potential tweaks to kickoffs discussed over the past few years. For now, it appears moving a touchback forward five yards will be the only new one for 2025.
