NFL Rules for Kickoffs

In an NFL game, you'll see a kickoff at the start of each half--and overtime, if it comes to that--and after every touchdown or field goal. Unlike a punt, in which the kicking team is ceding possession of the ball to the receiving team, the kickoff is a "free kick," meaning that players from either side can recover the ball, although with some limitations.

  1. Field Position

    • Teams normally kick off from their own 30-yard line, although this can change because of penalties. Defensive penalties committed on a touchdown or extra-point try are assessed on the following kickoff.

    Setup

    • Regardless of where the ball is spotted, the kicking team must have at least four players on each side of the kicker, with at least one of them outside the yard-line number. All members of the kicking team must be behind the ball when the kicker puts his foot to it. All members of the receiving team must be at least 10 yards downfield from the kickoff spot.
      The kicker may set the ball on a 1-inch-tall tee. If the ball falls off the tee--common on windy days--the kicker can reset it once; if it falls off again, a teammate must hold the ball in place or the kicker can simply kick it off the ground.

    Free Ball

    • Once the kicked ball has traveled at least 10 yards and has touched the ground, or if it is touched by a member of the receiving team, it becomes a "free ball." That means either team can recover it. If the receiving team recovers the ball, it's free to return it. However, the kicking team cannot advance a recovered kickoff; it merely gains possession wherever it recovers the ball.
      The receiving team is always free to recover the ball before it goes 10 yards. But if the kicking team touches the ball before it goes 10 yards, it's an illegal touch and the receiving team gets the ball at that spot.

    Where the Ball Goes

    • If the kickoff crosses the goal line and goes out of bounds, either on the fly or on a bounce, it's a touchback and the receiving team gets possession at its own 20-yard line. If the ball goes through the uprights of the goal posts, it's also a touchback--a kickoff can't score a field goal. If the ball goes out of bounds without touching a member of the receiving team before the end zone, however, it's an illegal kickoff. The receiving team has the option of taking the ball at the spot where it went out of bounds or 30 yards downfield from the kickoff point. For a normal kickoff, that puts the ball at the receiving team's 40-yard line, which is excellent field position.

    Onside Kick

    • Because a kickoff becomes a free ball after traveling 10 yards, a kicking team may design a special play, called an onside kick, to try to recover the ball as soon as it does. NFL rules define an onside kick as one in which the kicker "obviously attempts to kick the ball short" and the ball goes less than 20 yards. A special rule applies when an onside kick goes out of bounds: The kicking team must move back 5 yards (to the 25-yard line, usually) and kick the ball again. If a second onside kick goes out of bounds, though, it's treated the same as a regular kickoff out of bounds.