NFL Rule Changes for the 2026 Season Explained

Update (September 4): The article contains the most updated information on NFL rule changes.

As the 2026 NFL season kicks off, new league-wide rules will take effect and force fans to punt on some previous knowledge. The game-changing adjustments follow a months-long process of surveying teams, coaches and league executives, reviewing proposals from the NFL Competition Committee and winning the majority vote of approval by team owners.

Secure your NFL tickets and study up on the new NFL rule changes – most of which revolve around kicking – for the 2026 season below.

2026 NFL Rule Changes

Onside kicks

In the past, teams could only attempt an onside kick if they were 1) losing and 2) the game was in the fourth quarter. Under a new rule for the 2026 season, teams can now try to successfully pull off an onside kick at any point in a game – with the caveat being that the team needs to announce the kick. The team must declare before attempting an onside kick so that the receiving team can prepare in the traditional onside kick formation, compared to lining up for a standard kickoff.

Touchbacks on kicks after penalties

This new rule removes the thought of kicking a ball to trigger a touchback following a penalty. Before the 2026 season, if a kicker kicked the ball out of bounds after a penalty was called, the team set to receive the ball would get it at their own 25-yard line. However, if the kick went out of the end zone, the receiving team would get the ball at their own 30-yard line. To remove the incentive for the kicking team to save five yards and kick the ball out of bounds on purpose, the new rule makes it so that a deliberate touchback in this kicking scenario places the ball at the 20-yard line for the receiving team.

Player ejections

“Flagrant football acts and non-football acts” are now allowed to be reviewed in the replay booth by officials, even if the acts in question were not called as penalties during a play.

Kickoff setup line

One last kicking change: when it comes to standard kickoffs, the amount of players on the receiving team who must have at least one foot on the setup line has decreased from six to five. The setup line is where the blockers on the receiving team line up ahead of a kick.