This upcoming football season may see a significant change to the NFL's kickoff rules, but it appears that a number of NFL coaches are doing all in their power to prevent that from happening.
The NFL is reportedly considering a rule change that would permit fair catches inside the 25-yard line, which would then count as touchbacks - similar to the present college football regulation. This information comes from NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.
The plan, which the competition committee authorized before the owners submitted it in March, would let fair receptions inside the 25-yard line be treated as touchbacks and the ball would subsequently be noted at that place.
Concussions on kickoffs have increased over the last three seasons, with 10 occurring in 2020, 14 in '21, and 19 last season, according to Breer's article for Sports Illustrated.
Breer noted that there was "strong opposition to the rule change among special teams coaches and players over the last week, coalescing into a unified organized effort to kill the proposal."