Every NFL offseason brings its fair share of tweaks. Some come and go quietly, while others actually change how games feel on Sundays. And it looks like the 2025 season happens to bring one of those bigger shifts, which starts with the very first play of every game: the kickoff.
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Last year, the league rolled out the so-called “Dynamic Kickoff,” and honestly, it was unlike anything football fans had ever seen. Instead of two squads sprinting full speed from opposite ends, the new setup forced both sides to line up closer together, almost like a scrimmage.
This meant there was no longer a big runway, resulting in a reduced risk of violent collisions and more opportunities for the return man to actually make a play. And intriguingly enough, it worked … at least in part.
Kickoff returns, which had plummeted to just 21.8% in 2023, jumped up to 33% in the first year of the new rule. Teams were also starting drives further up the field: from 25.6 yards on average in 2023 to 30.1 in 2024. Even the average return got a bump, from 23 yards to 27.5.
Still, the NFL wasn’t satisfied. The league wanted even more returns and fewer touchbacks. This is where the 2025 tweak comes in.
Starting from this season, a touchback no longer sets you up at the 25, or even the 30, as it did last year. Now, the ball goes all the way to the 35-yard line. Why? Because it basically dares teams to return the ball rather than let it sail out of the end zone.
Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher explained best, noting how impactful this could be: “I think the 35-yard line is pretty severe. You get two first downs, then you’re kicking a field goal. I think 35 was the answer a year ago… with the 35 now, the kickoffs are coming back even more.”
In other words, if returners can even manage a modest 20-yard return, their offense could be starting drives near midfield. That’s a game-changer for field position strategy and forces kicking teams to think twice before automatically booting the ball deep.
But the kickoff changes are only part of the story. The NFL has also modified the onside kick rule in 2025.
Teams can now attempt an onside kick at any point in the game, not just in the fourth quarter. But, of course, the team in question must be trailing. There’s another catch: the kicking team has to declare its intention in advance, which critics like Nate Burleson argue kills the drama: “Where’s the mystery in that? Why does it have to be so black and white?”
That’s a solid point Burleson has made. The great onside kicks of the past, from Sean Payton’s gutsy call in Super Bowl XLIV to Andy Reid’s surprise opener in 2000, worked precisely because nobody saw them coming.
The NFL, however, insists these changes will boost return rates into the 65–75% range, which would be the highest in decades. And maybe that happens. But the other side of the coin is that one of football’s most thrilling desperation plays, the onside kick, looks closer to extinction.
At the end of the day, the NFL’s message is loud and clear: the kickoff matters again. With touchbacks pushed to the 35, expect returners to take more chances, blockers to draw up new schemes, and special teams coaches to earn their paychecks. Whether fans love it or not, one thing is certain: the opening play in 2025 won’t just be a formality anymore.
