The NFL announced changes to its rules for the “onside kick” that will be implemented for the 2024 season Tuesday morning.
Teams now have to declare their intention to do an onside kick before doing it, the team must be losing when the kick happens and they are not allowed to make an onside kick until the fourth quarter.
The new rules limit the onside kick to its intention, an opportunity for a trailing team to recover the ball, likely late in the game when there is no other option.
Still, these new rules are absolutely terrible. The onside kick is one of the most exciting plays in football and has the chance to turn a game on its head without notice. The excitement and unknowns of the onside kick are now almost completely eliminated. (RELATED: NFL Receiver Michael Gallup Shocks Fans With Sudden Retirement)
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No more surprise onside kicks or aggressive coaching calls early in games, the NFL has squashed it! I mean, come on, one of the most exciting plays in NFL history was Pat McAfee’s electric recovery of his own onside kick. We will never see something awesome like this happen again, at least until they change the rules back.
Never forget when Pat McAfee hit a surprise onside kick to himself 🏈☠️
pic.twitter.com/GmJQiRHFRo— Football Reels 📽 (@TheFBReels) March 27, 2024
I am sure Pat will have something to say about this change when his show hits the airwaves at noon!