Donald Trump blasts NFL for "ridiculous" kickoff rule, urges for a change

The NFL's new "dynamic" kickoff rule has garnered mixed reviews since it debuted in the preseason. Some have praised how it has changed the art and technique of returning, but others believe little has changed.

Donald Trump counts himself as a member of the latter camp. Speaking at his final campaign stop in Pennsylvania on Monday, he said:

"We're starting from a negative, you know, from about 15 yards off the field," Trump said. "We're not starting at the 20. ... Maybe we can get the NFL to drop that ridiculous kickoff. What the hell are they? What is that? I watched the game the other day and I said, 'What the hell happened? They just kicked off and nobody moved.' Oh, well, that's up to them."

---

How effective has the new NFL kickoff rule been?

One positive aspect of the "dynamic" kickoff is that it has reduced the number of documented concussions from the play. In 2022, there were 20, and in 2023, eight. But there had been just one through the first six weeks of this season.

Over that same span, 32% of kickoffs were returned, an increase from 22% in 2023, though still well short of the 55% predicted by the Competition Committee.

Another positive aspect is that because touchbacks are now spotted at the 30 instead of the 20, it has increased scoring opportunities, reducing the number of punts for some players. The Atlanta Falcons' Bradley Pinion, in particular, has had just 20 punts for 941 yards through eight weeks, the fewest he has had at that point in his career.

He called the rule "a good thing":

"From a fan perspective, fans want to see points, they want to see touchdowns and they want to see offenses and defenses on the field," Pinion said. "They don't really care to see a punter or a punt team."

The impact was certainly predicted by franchise CEO (and Competition Committee co-chair) Rich McKay.

"We definitely thought about the scoring impact," McKay said. ... "Because where you're starting from is just closer, where you're in position to kick field goals. So, Mike Lopez of the league office and the analytics department were pretty clear to us that, 'Hey, the impact of this touchback will be, we think, probably a point and a half or two points per game.'"

However, some think the rule can be improved. An anonymous player suggested to the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Adam Hill that a team's subsequent touchbacks after the first each is spotted progressively five yards closer to the kicking team's endzone (35 for the second, 40 for the third, and so forth) to discourage kicking into the receiving team's endzone.