PHOENIX – NFL owners on Tuesday passed five rule changes, three bylaws and one resolution at this year's annual league meeting.

"Many years competition committee-wise, we had a ton of proposals and a ton of debate," committee co-chairman Rich McKay said in a press conference from the annual league meeting Tuesday morning. "This is a much more straightforward year. We only have five final proposals. We had three bylaws, and we ended up having just one resolution we voted on. So it was a good year that way, with probably less debate and a little more discussion about the state of the game, which is very good for us."

Playing Rules

1. Permit the kicking team to declare on onside kick at any time during the game.

When the dynamic kickoff format was first implemented in 2024, onside kicks were only permitted in the fourth quarter when a team is trailing. Last year, the league changed it so that a trailing team could declare an onside kick at any point.

"We changed the onside kick, only from the idea that we allow you to kick it at any time," McKay said. "Why did we change that? We changed it really in the event that you have a penalty enforcement after a try and you're going to kick off on the 50, there were just teams that said, 'Well, why in the world would we kick it on side here? We'd like to have that opportunity.' Before, the onside kick used to provide that you can only kick it if you were behind or tied. And so we just eliminated that."

2. Eliminate the kicking team's incentive to intentionally kick the ball out of bounds when kicking off from the 50-yard line.

Last year's rule incentivized the kicking team to kick the ball out of bounds from the 50 – when there was a penalty enforced on the kickoff – because it gave the receiving team the ball on the 25 rather than the 35 for a touchback. On a kickoff out of bounds penalty, the receiving team gets the ball 25 yards from the spot of the kick, normally the receiving team's own 40 when the kicking team is kicking off from the 35. But if the receiving team commits a 15-yard penalty and it's enforced on the kickoff, the kicking team kicks from its own 50, which means it could pean the

The new rule spots touchbacks on the receiving team's 20 instead of their 25 when the kicking team kicks off from the 50, whether the ball lands in the endzone or goes out of bounds.

3. Modify the kickoff alignment requirements for the receiving team players in the setup zone.

This reduces the minimum number of receiving team players in the setup zone with their front foot on the setup line from six (current rule) to five. This also increases number of receiving team players in the setup zone without their front foot on the setup line from three to four, but never more than two players in each of the three areas within the setup zone bordered by the sidelines and inbounds lines.

4. Allow league personnel to consult with on-field officials when considering disqualifications for both flagrant football acts and non-football acts without being called on the field.

Under the original proposal, for actions not called on the field, if designated members of the Officiating department determine prior to the next legal snap or kick that such action is flagrant, they may consult with the on-field officials regarding a potential disqualification of the offending player. The penalty would be disqualification from the game if actions are found to be flagrant.

That proposal was amended so that it will not only allow NFL personnel to consult with on-field officials when considering disqualifications for both football and non-football acts, but also place a flag on the field if one wasn't thrown. That mended proposal passed.

McKay said this is something they have not done before.

"Listen, two times last year, there were plays where that happened, where New York was ready to do something and couldn't," McKay said. "They now will be able to. I think there was a good healthy discussion by the membership on the whole idea of replay assist, and the idea that, over time, you will probably expand replay assist even more and allow New York to do more. But this was the first time that we ventured into the world putting a flag in and having New York step in and disqualify the player."

McKay also said Saints head coach Sean Payton and Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell were the ones who said if this was going to be done, "we have to put a flag on, because we cannot have a 4th and 2 show up, they disqualified a player from the previous play for a non-football act – he's punched somebody, he's done whatever – and the team still has to punt. We should be imposing the penalty."

This proposal came after Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf wasn't ejected from a game after getting into an altercation with a heckling fan; the replay center could not eject Metcalf because the on-field officials didn't see the play when Metcalf swiped at the fan, so they did not throw a flag.

5. For one year only, allow the NFL Officiating Department to correct clear and obvious misses made by on-field officials that impact the game, in the event there is a work stoppage involving the game officials represented by the NFL Referees Association.

The context here is labor talks between the league and the referees' union reportedly being at an impasse – ESPN reported talks broke off between the league and the referees' union last week – which could potentially lead to replacement officials being used.

McKay said many of the elements they put in that proposal stem from officials being on the field that will not be accustomed to making some of those calls, such as illegal contact – which the NFL has but college football does not.

"We don't want to discourage someone that's not accustomed to it or calling it, but we want a chance to make sure that they got it right," McKay said. "So that there's a lot of that in that rule that was done specifically for this circumstance."

Additionally, McKay said the league will hire more staff in the officiating department in the Art McNally Gameday Center, which serves as the hub of the replay review center and is located at league headquarters.

Bylaws

1. Amended Article XVII, Section 17.1 of the Constitution and Bylaws to permit the League office to adjust the procedures and related dates and deadlines for the final roster reduction to accommodate an international game scheduled in the first week of the regular season.

This gives the league the ability to move the 53-man roster deadline (roster cutdown day), which is currently the Tuesday after the final preseason games, to accommodate a Week 1 international game. This is one to keep an eye on for Rams fans, given the team's Week 1 game against the 49ers in Australia.

2. Amended Article XVII, Section 18.1 (B) of the Constitution and Bylaws to establish the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend as business days to provide clubs with personnel notices during the first weekend after the roster reduction.

This permits the 24-hour waiver period for players to go into effect on those days rather than waiting until Monday.

3. Permit players on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform to begin a 21-day practice period after the club's second game of the regular season.

This passed, but is subject to negotiation with the NFL Players Association, according to McKay. This change will permit players on the Reserve/PUP list to have their practice window opened after Week 2. While players would still have to miss four games before they can be put back on the active roster, it would allow them to return to practice sooner – under the current rule, players must miss their team's first four games before they can return to practice.

"It's just the idea that these players have not been training camp, they've been on this list, all of a sudden, I think there were 50 of them last year, so there are 50 of them on that list, they would have the ability to begin to practice after Week 2," McKay said. "They still can't play until Week 4, but we just want to practice because otherwise we feel like it. They're they've gone so long about being on the field, and all of a sudden, put them on the field after four weeks and then try to play them in the next game is probably not their best interest or our best interest."

Resolutions

1. By the Steelers, to make permanent the change implemented during the 2025 season that permits clubs to have one video or phone call with no more than five prospective Unrestricted Free Agent during the Two-Day Negotiation Period, and to permit clubs to make travel arrangements with such players upon agreeing to terms.

This change that was adopted on a trial basis last year now becomes permanent.