President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Monday after two weeks of NFL regular season play to criticize the league’s kickoff rules.
“The NFL has to get rid of that ridiculous looking new Kickoff Rule,” Trump wrote in a post. “It’s at least as dangerous as the ‘normal’ kickoff, and looks like hell. The ball is moving, and the players are not, the exact opposite of what football is all about. ‘Sissy’ football is bad for America.”
Trump was referring to the “dynamic kickoff,” which was introduced prior to the 2024 season. As part of the new kickoff, the kicker’s teammates now line up on the opponent’s side of the field and nobody on either team can move until the ball hits the ground or is touched by the returner.
Kicks that fall into the “landing zone” between the 20-yard line and the end zone must be returned. Balls that enter the end zone on the fly can be returned or taken for a touchback.
The dynamic kickoff, which was imported from the XFL, was the NFL’s attempt to revive the special teams play after the frequency of returns gradually declined during the 2010s due to a series of rule tweaks. In 2009, 81% of kickoffs were returned. By 2023, that number had plummeted to 22%.
In 2024, the modified rules led to more returns, but still only 33% of kicks resulted in meaningful on-field action. Therefore, owners agreed to move the touchback from the 30-yard-line to the 35-yard-line prior to the 2025 season to incentivize teams to kick into the landing zone.
That offseason change has yielded huge returns—literally. Nearly 77% of kickoffs have been returned through two weeks, which would be the highest rate for a full season since 2010.
The average kickoff return last season brought the ball out to the 29-yard-line, so kicking teams were willing to concede one yard of field position to avoid the risk of a long touchdown return. The new touchback spot, however, has changed the calculus.
Whether the new kickoff plays look “ridiculous” or not, more returns is clearly a win for the league.
The president also questioned the safety of the dynamic kickoff, but the NFL reported last season that the rate of concussions on kickoff returns dropped 43%. Injury reduction, in addition to more exciting plays, was a key motivator for the league to change the rules.
Trump, who lost a 2014 bid to purchase the Buffalo Bills, has a history of criticizing the NFL, dating back to at least 2017 when he called for teams to punish players who protested during the national anthem. Earlier this year, the president called NFL owners “stupid” for not drafting Shedeur Sanders, now the third-string QB for the Cleveland Browns.
