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Kurt Warner likes the action back on kickoffs, but he doesn’t love the side effects.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, to share his thoughts on the play, Warner likes the on-field action but wonders if it’s a bit too beneficial to offenses.
“I do enjoy watching kickoff returns again… but did NFL Competition Committee take into consideration how good kickers are now???” Warner asked. “Drives need to be like 15 yards on average to get into FG range… seems to be skewing things even more for the offense!! I think everything should be earned… not given!”
Warner’s gripe hits two pressure points: field position and modern leg strength. The National Football League pushed through tweaks to its “dynamic kickoff” for 2025, moving certain touchbacks to the 35-yard line and letting teams declare onside kicks anytime they’re trailing. The setup still stations 10 coverage players at the receiving team’s 40 with a mandated “landing zone” between the goal line and the 20. If the ball lands short of that zone, the receiving team takes over at its 40, a massive gift of field position.
Return volume has spiked. Week 1 produced a 75.6% return rate, the highest in any week since 2010, and the league’s own data from last season already showed big jumps in returns and long runbacks while concussion rates fell.
Coaches are busy gaming the gray areas. Special teams units are experimenting with “knuckleball” kicks that die inside the landing zone to force awkward catches and reduce returners’ run-ups. Others are blasting kicks deep to take the automatic touchback to the 35 and dare offenses to go 35 yards and try a long field goal. The strategy chatter this month has centered on whether the pendulum just swung too far toward the offense.
NFL fans have already seen how one mistake can decide a finish. The Arizona Cardinals tied the Seattle Seahawks with 28 seconds left, then botched the ensuing kickoff under the new rules, handing Seattle the ball at the 40. Two plays later, the Seahawks drilled the winner. That’s exactly the kind of “short field, quick three” scenario Warner warns about.
Is Warner right about drives being too easy? From the 35, many teams need roughly 25–30 yards to feel comfortable attempting 50-plus–yard kicks. Today’s kickers make those at a higher clip than a decade ago, so the math matters. Warner’s bigger point stands: if touchbacks and enforcement spots regularly drop offenses near midfield, the NFL risks tilting outcomes toward three points without earning a full drive.
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