Source: Onside Kick Alternative Rule Fails to Pass

A proposed rule that would provide an alternative to onside kicks did not pass on Thursday, according to the MMQB's Albert Breer.

A proposed rule that would have provided an alternative to onside kicks did not pass on Thursday, according to the MMQB's Albert Breer. 

The rule would have provided teams with an untimed fourth-and-15 play from its own 25-yard-line to retain possession after a score. 

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, there was no official vote on the proposal, but the league did take a virtual show of hands and did not have the support to pass it on Thursday. 

The rule would have needed the support from 24 of its 32 owners to pass the rule. 

League owners, however, did approve a number of rule proposals. 

Per various sources, they made permanent the expansion of automatic replay reviews to include scoring plays and turnovers negated by fouls, expended defenseless player protections for kick and punt returners and prevented the manipulation of the game clock by using consecutive dead-ball fouls. 

The latter rule proposal was notably utilized by the Titans in their Wild Card weekend victory over the Patriots. 

A plan to test expanded booth-to-official communication in the preseason was also approved.  

According to Breer, NFL owners also voted to approve an extension of their deal with Electronic Arts, creating a partnership through 2026.