NFL Officially Makes 4 Significant Rule Changes For 2026 Season
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
A week after the annual league meeting, the NFL Competition Committee proposed a series of rule changes for the upcoming season.
In addition to the Cleveland Browns pushing to allow draft selections to “be traded up to five seasons in the future” and the Pittsburgh Steelers calling for the chance to “have one video or phone call with no more than five prospective Unrestricted Free Agents during the two-day negotiation period,” the league had more changes to study.
Out of those five rule changes the competition committee proposed, owners reportedly approved four. They will have a big impact on the game next year.
New NFL Rules Prepare The League For Seemingly Imminent Issue With Referees
Insider Tom Pelissero reported on Tuesday that the owners approved four rule changes. The league will permit the kicking team to declare an onside kick at any time during the game. Additionally, they will eliminate the kicking team’s incentive to kick the ball out of bounds from the 50-yard line.
NFL owners have approved four rules changes, per source:
🏈 By Competition Committee; to permit the kicking team to declare an onside kick at any time during the game.
🏈 By Competition Committee; to eliminate the kicking team’s incentive to intentionally kick the ball out of…
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 31, 2026
More than that, the league will allow the NFL Officiating Department to correct clear misses made by on-field officials that impact the game. This will take place if the league and the referees’ union can’t reach an agreement before the 2026 season.
Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports added that the league will allow flags to be placed on the field for flagrant and non-football acts that can lead to disqualifications.
