Fresh NFL Rumors Reveal Update on Possible Onside Kick Alternative Rule Change

Onside kicks have become harder to recover in the NFL in recent years, but the league is reportedly revisiting a potential alternative.

According to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, "multiple sources" said that "the possibility of replacing the onside kick with a fourth-and-13 play will be addressed again this offseason."

Florio noted that the idea for an alternative option to the onside kick first emerged 13 years ago from Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano following former Scarlet Knights player Eric LeGrand's devastating neck injury during a kickoff return.

The NFL overhauled its kickoff rules ahead of the 2024 season as part of its effort to reduce high-speed collisions. However, onside kick rules were amended to require teams to declare when they're running the play, eliminating the element of surprise that boosts the chances of the play being successful. Per Florio, fewer than eight percent of onside kicks have been recovered in the last two years.

Still, the fourth-and-13 play isn't guaranteed to be a favorable alternative. Florio reported, "In discussions with various decision-makers and persons of influence within league circles, the reaction was lukewarm, at best," because the approach "gives an advantage to teams with franchise quarterbacks."

One coach was asked whether he prefers the onside kick or a fourth-and-13 play, and he responded, "Is it possible to say I absolutely hate both?"

There's a chance that the NFL chooses to continue to tinker with the onside kick rules rather than adopting the alternative, but it's clear that something needs to change before the 2026 season begins.