What you might have missed from the NFL's annual meeting
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The NFL held its annual league meeting this week in Palm Beach, Florida. There were multiple developments from those meetings that you'll need to keep in mind when the season kicks off in just 154 short days on Thursday, Sept. 4.
Here are some of the highlights:
➤ Regular-season overtime rules changed (again): Overtime periods in the regular season will more closely align with those in the postseason, with the exception that regular-season overtime periods are still 10 minutes whereas those in the postseason are 15 minutes. However, now both teams will have the chance to possess the ball in overtime regardless of what happens on the first possession. There's five fewer minutes to answer that score, so pitter patter!
➤ Kickoff rule changed (again): The "dynamic kickoff" survived, however, not without some important alterations. Let's let the NFL explain ...
"By Competition Committee; amends Rule 6, to make permanent the new form of free kick play implemented in 2024 designed to 1) resemble a typical scrimmage play by aligning players on both teams closer together and restricting movement to reduce space and speed and 2) promote more returns, subject to the following changes: (a) modifies the alignment requirements for receiving team players in the setup zone; (b) changes the dead ball spot after a touchback to the 35-yard line if the ball lands in the end zone and is downed in the end zone by the receiving team or goes out of bounds behind the receiving team’s goal line."
Fast forward to five months from now when somebody asks me – an obsessive football watcher – what the NFL's kickoff rule is this season, at which point I'm like 🤷🏻♂️. Touchbacks can go out to the 35-yard line? Geesh! Teams are practically going to be in field goal range! Not to be all "get off my lawn," but remember the days when touchbacks went out to the 20-yard line? That's the way it was and we just accepted that.
Onside kicks are still only allowed in the fourth quarter and the team intending to try to attempt such a kick must declare their intentions to attempt something that used to be an exciting moment of deception in the game.
➤ The "tush push" is still a legal play: Well ... at the moment. The league powers kicked the can down the road on deciding the fate of the controversial play popularized by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. It will be revisited again during another set of league meetings in May. It is important to note that no injuries were reported from such "tush push" plays last season, so the all-important "player health and safety" data doesn't quite back up a ban of the play.
➤ So long, chain gang: What was reported by Paste BN Sports' Jarrett Bell back in February became official this week when the NFL announced it would use Sony’s Hawk-Eye technology to measure the line to gain for first downs. Put the chain gang in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for their century-long contribution to the NFL, as the league finally has entered the 21st century when it comes to measuring down and distance.
➤ Christmas Day tripleheader: This used to be the NBA's day, but clearly not anymore. In 2025, Christmas Day will feature three NFL games. There had been two NFL games on Christmas Day the previous four seasons (and one in 2020). This is a step in further holiday domination by the NFL. Pour one out for spending quality time with the family during this treasured holiday. The three-game slate puts Christmas on par with Thanksgiving, which is going to need to step it up 😁.
➤ What about the 18-game season? We'd discussed this as a possible hot-button topic at this week's meetings. Commissioner Roger Goodell said that the 18-game regular season was "not a focus" of these meetings. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was a little less measured with his words on the topic, saying, "certainly it’s in the future."
➤ Speaking of the Cowboys, there's drama in Micah Parsons contract negotiations: Jarrett Bell wrote that there was a good news/weird news mix on the Micah Parsons money meter watch coming from Jerry Jones at the NFL league meetings.
➤ Sure seems as though it's only a matter of time before Aaron Rodgers joins the Steelers: Mike Tomlin was a popular figure at the NFL's annual meeting because Rodgers remains a free agent and the Steelers are without a bona fide starting quarterback (Mason Rudolph is their QB1 at the moment, and that's not ideal). Tomlin reiterated that the Steelers are patiently waiting on Rodgers' decision. Rodgers, for his part, is helping fuel the speculation, as it was reported on Monday that he got together with DK Metcalf – who the Steelers acquired in an offseason trade – had a throwing session at UCLA.
Trending ⬆️ and ⬇️
⬆️ Flag football at the 2028 Summer Olympics: Flag football is set to make its Olympic debut during the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games, and Roger Goodell said players are enthusiastic about the prospect of participating.
⬇️ Relations between the Bengals and Trey Hendrickson: Wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins got new, lucrative contracts. However, Hendrickson – the Bengals' standout edge rusher – is still waiting for his contract extension. He's not happy with how things are going. "Communication has been poor over the last couple months," Hendrickson said.
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