Overview

• Posting on Sept. 15, President Donald Trump called the redesigned kickoff "sissy football," urged the NFL to scrap it, and argued it looks worse without improving safety.
• The dynamic kickoff, adopted in 2024 and kept for 2025, positions players closer together and bars movement until the ball is touched or hits the ground in a defined landing zone.
• For 2025 the NFL shifted touchbacks to the 35-yard line to discourage automatic touchbacks and encourage more returns under the new formation.
• The league reports concussions on kickoff returns fell 43% last season, with chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills citing slower player speeds as a key factor.
• Returns rose from 21.8% in 2023 to 32.8% in 2024, and early 2025 games show a surge — about 75.6% in Week 1 and nearly 77% through two weeks — even as isolated plays, such as Seattle’s recovery after a Pittsburgh miscue, highlight a learning curve.