A new in-depth video shows how Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker managed to break the NFL’s new kickoff rules, even before the start of the 2024 regular season.
During the offseason, NFL owners approved several new kickoff rules to a) encourage more kick returns and b) improve player safety. And in just a few preseason attempts, Harrison Butker has managed to work them to his advantage.
The rule changes include a new alignment: All players on the kicking team except the kicker must line up on the opposing team’s 40-yard line. If the kicking team sends the ball through the end zone on a kickoff, the offensive team will begin possession on their own 30-yard line.
Any ball kicked in the “landing zone” also must be returned by the receiving team. The landing zone is the area between the receiving team’s goal line and their own 20-yard line. If a kick is short of the 20-yard line, the receiving team starts with the ball on their 40-yard line.
Popular YouTuber Isaac Punts shared an excellent in-depth video showing how Harrison Butker has already exploited the new kickoff rules in his favor.
As you can see in the video below (starting at 0:45), Butker confuses the Jacksonville Jaguars’ return team with a unique kick that starts straight before “sliding” in a different direction. This buys time for his teammates to get down the field and swarm the returner:
Just when you thought the defending Super Bowl champions couldn’t get tougher to play against. Good luck to 31 other NFL teams.
The 29-year-old Harrison Butker was awarded a four-year contract extension worth $25.6 million earlier this month, marking the richest deal for a kicker in NFL history.
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