The NFL could be about to look to the XFL for inspiration over a potential rule change this offseason.
The Competition Committee, who review rules and propose changes to the game each offseason, has discussed the XFL’s kickoff model and could propose a vote during the Annual League Meeting that takes place next month, according to the NFL Network.
NFL kickoffs have been the subject of much debate and rule changes in recent years, as the league try and find a balance between player safety and ensuring that kickoff returns remain a part of the game.
Less than a quarter of kickoffs were returned last season after a one-year rule change was approved last spring that permitted returners to make a fair catch on any kick behind their 25-yard line, which would see possession begin at the 25-yard line.
The XFL approached kickoffs with a radically different take, which saw the ball kicked off from the 30-yard line, but the rest of the kicking team was situated at the opposite 35-yard line, five metres away from ten members of the receiving team. No players apart from the kicker and the returner are permitted to move until the ball is fielded.
This ensures that players on the kicking team cannot charge down the field and hit opponents at pace and with the kind of violent collisions that have meant kickoffs have a higher rate of concussions than any other plays.
The Annual League Meeting takes place from March 24-27 and if a vote is put forward, it will need the approval of 24 of the 32 NFL team owners to be passed.
The XFL merged with the USFL last year, with the new United Football League (UFL), with the new eight-team spring league kicking off at the end of March.
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