NFL executive Troy Vincent says league still must address the onside kick
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The gist
NFL executive Troy Vincent said the league still has to address the onside kick after owners discussed kickoffs.
The rule now allows onside kicks anytime, and recovery rates stay low.
Background
Troy Vincent is the NFL's executive vice president of football operations. The league began overhauling kickoffs in 2024 to increase returns, and has since loosened onside kick rules — first allowing teams trailing in the fourth quarter to declare one, then teams trailing at any point, and in 2026 removing the trailing requirement entirely. Vincent's comment came after he said league leaders and team owners spent "a good amount of time" on Tuesday discussing overall kickoffs.
How it unfolded
- 2024The NFL made major kickoff changes to increase returns, including placing the ball at the 35-yard line for a touchback and barring non-kicking players from moving until the ball is caught or hits the landing zone.
- 2025The league changed onside kick rules to let teams trailing at any point in the game declare an onside kick, after initially limiting it to teams trailing in the fourth quarter.
- 2026The NFL removed the trailing requirement, meaning teams can declare an onside kick at any time in the game.
- Oct 16, 2026An Oregon high school football coach was fired after calling for an onside kick while his team led 57-0 in the second quarter.
- Oct 18, 2026The New England Patriots recovered a New York Jets onside kick attempt with 32 seconds left to preserve a Week 6 win; the ball squirted through A.J. Brown's hands before teammate Eli Raridon covered it. The Patriots won 26-19 at Gillette Stadium.
- Oct 20, 2026NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said the league still has to address the onside kick, and said league leaders and team owners spent "a good amount of time" discussing overall kickoffs.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Troy Vincent said the league still has to address the onside kick, noting owners and league leaders spent "a good amount of time" on kickoffs.
- Caution
- A Pictou Advocate opinion column said the NFL "has badly bungled the transition to the new dynamic kickoff" and called the onside kick rules "nonsensical."
- Expert
- Huntington High coach Billy Seals said the kicking team has "a rule advantage" because an offside penalty lets it rekick, and argued the receiving team should be able to take the ball where it fielded it.
- Support
- South Point coach Brian Wroten said he is "aggressive by nature" and used onside kicks to keep the ball away from an opponent he couldn't stop.