:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66864375/usa_today_13828995.0.jpg)
The NFL will not be adopting a proposed rule changed that would have drastically altered the onside kick.
According to NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero, the proposal to allow teams to try a 4th-and-15 play instead of an onside kick has been tabled.
There was no official vote on the 4th-and-15 proposal, but they did take a (virtual) show of hands and it did not have the support to pass at this time. A bold idea that would've needed 24 of 32 votes. Expect it to come up again. https://t.co/XRuJBIlEG9
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 28, 2020
Typically when a proposal gets tabled, it’s because the league knew it didn’t have enough support among the NFL’s 32 owners to pass.
The proposal would have given teams an alternative to the onside kick in an effort to get back possession if the football following a score. The rule would have provided coaches the option to attempt one untimed down to convert a 4th-and-15 from their own 25-yard-line. If the play failed, the opponent would have taken possession at the dead-ball spot.
This would have obviously made the end of games a lot more interesting, but some will argue it’s unfair to give a team that ball back instantly right after they score, even if it is a 4th-and-15 play.
Perhaps we’ll see more support for the rule change next year. But for now, the traditional onside kick remains the only way for a team to steal a possession following a score.