The NFL apparently still wants an alternative to the onside kick, and commissioner Roger Goodell remains intrigued by the Denver Broncos proposal from two seasons ago. The league's owners have voted against the proposal twice, but Goodell isn't ready to let the proposal die.
"It is something we have thought, and many clubs have thought, would be an exciting addition to the game," Goodell said on a virtual conference call Tuesday, via Pro Football Talk. "Something I think merits a lot of discussion."
In the 2019 offseason, the Broncos proposed a rule change "to provide an alternative onside kick that would allow a team who is trailing in the game an opportunity to maintain possession of the ball after scoring." The rule change would have given teams an opportunity to convert a fourth-and-15 from their own 35-yard line instead of attempting an onside kick in order to get the ball back. It could have been used just once during the fourth quarter.
NFL owners voted down the proposal initially but tested the onside kick alternative at the Pro Bowl earlier this year. The league added a twist to Denver's initial proposal, as the scoring team may elect to give the ball to its opposition at their own 25, or it may elect to take the ball at its own 25-yard line (instead of the 35, as originally proposed) for a fourth-and-15 play. If the conversion is successful, the team that attempted the fourth-and-15 would maintain possession as normal; if not, the result would be a turnover. The other team would take over possession from wherever the play ended.
Prior to voting down the second proposal, the league added another tweak. The fourth-and-15 play would be an untimed down compared to the original proposal, where the play was going to follow normal NFL timing rules.
Teams would be allowed to try the fourth-and-15 play up to twice per game no matter what the score is. All normal rules would apply to the play, so the offense could get an automatic first down and keep the ball for a defensive holding or pass interference. If the offense got penalized, they wouldn't be allowed to then kick off after the penalty is enforced. Instead they would have to run a fourth-down play from their new line of scrimmage, meaning an offensive false start penalty would lead to a fourth-and-20 from the 20-yard line. If the offensive team didn't convert, the defensive team would take over on downs from where the play ended.
Teams are 1 for 10 on fourth-down attempts of 15 yards or more this season, a conversion rate of 10%. They are 3 for 40 on onside kick conversions (7.5%), so the fourth-and-15 attempt has a greater chance for the team making the conversion attempt to keep the ball -- which would be the point of the rule change in the first place.
If the rule were to be proposed again, the league would need 75% of the owners to vote "yes," or 24 of the 32 owners. The Philadelphia Eagles proposed the onside kick alternative last offseason and another team will likely bring up the proposal again.
At least that's what Goodell is hoping.
