Why Did Packers Vote Against New NFL Kickoff Rule?

The NFL's new kickoff rule passed by a 29-3 vote. The Green Bay Packers were one of the dissenters. Why? Mark Murphy explains.

Green Bay Packers All-Pro Keisean Nixon celebrates with a Lambeau Leap after returning a kickoff for a touchdown in 2022. / Dan Powers / USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

GREEN BAY, Wis. – On the surface, it made no sense. The new NFL kickoff rule should benefit the Green Bay Packers more than most teams because of the presence of two-time All-Pro returner Keisean Nixon. And yet, the Packers were one of only three teams who voted against it.

Why?

Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy explained his reasoning at the NFL Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla., on Tuesday.

“Our issue was that it was such a major change,” he said. “My thought – our thought – was it would make sense really to have maybe as a trial or as an experiment in the preseason. There’s going to be some unintended consequences. I just felt it made sense to have a trial. But that said, it passed … 29-3. We’ll be very supportive of it. We have one of the better kick returners in the league, so we’ll put that to our advantage.”

Nixon’s numbers from 2023 explain everything about why the NFL made the change and why the Packers should benefit. Nixon led the league with a 26.1-yard average. Also, Nixon was second-to-last in the NFL with that 26.1-yard average. That’s because only two players reached the 20-return threshold to be considered among the league leaders. In 2022, 19 returners had at least 20. A decade earlier, 23 returners had at least 20.

The two key parts to the change, which was approved for a one-year trial: One, the kickoff team will align at the return team’s 40-yard line. Two: Members of the coverage are not allowed to move until the ball gets in the returner’s hands.

“I think our coaches are smart,” Murphy said. “They’ll figure out schemes. It’ll be a little different than the XFL, but it makes the play more like a punt, where the players are running down together rather than the current kickoff where it’s full speed runs into blockers.”

Speaking to reporters before the rules change was approved on Tuesday, coach Matt LaFleur spoke in strong support of the rule.

“I don’t know what football would be without it,” he said of the kickoff. “Certainly, when you have a returner as dynamic as Keisean, the more opportunities he can get to return, I think it could set us up.”

The Packers were one of the few teams who bothered to return kickoffs with any regularity. For most of the league, kickoffs meant nothing more than an additional 30 seconds for coaches to plot strategy and players to grab a sip of Gatorade. The Rams and Colts had a league-low nine kickoff returns apiece. The league average was 18. A decade earlier, the average was 40.

“I think you look at this year, 22 percent of the kicks were returned leaguewide,” Murphy said. “We were kind of the outlier, just between the weather here and, of course, Keisean is such a good returner. But the Super Bowl is a good example – 13 kicks and not one returned. Only one was even returnable; every one was up in the stands.

“It kind of had become almost a meaningless. It wasn’t even a play. It just went right to the 25-yard line. So, I think it was good and I think we were all in favor of something that would be safe and get the kickoff return back into the game. It’s a one-year rule, so we’ll be able to evaluate it after the year.”

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