The 2026 NFL Annual League Meeting wrapped up Tuesday in Arizona, which means owners are voting on rule and playing proposals for the 2026 season.
The league's Competition Committee submitted five playing rule proposals to be voted upon, all of which were approved on Wednesday.
Additionally, three bylaw proposals and a Steelers proposal about the legal tampering period were also approved. All proposals were approved by 75 percent (24) of the clubs to be adopted.
The first playing rule proposal approved now permits the kicking team to declare an onside kick at any time during the game. The rule previously stated this is only allowed in the fourth quarter.
The second proposal is to eliminate the kicking team's incentive to intentionally kick the ball out of bounds when kicking off from the 50-yard line. The previous rule stipulated that an out-of-bounds kickoff from the 50 means the ball is placed at the 25-yard line. The new rule would put the ball at the 20.
The Competition Committee also proposed to modify the kickoff alignment requirements for the receiving team players in the setup zone. This will potentially put an extra player in the setup zone, with the Competition Committee citing player safety as the main reason for the proposal.
Additionally, the Competition Committee proposed to allow NFL personnel to consult with on-field officials when considering disqualifications for both flagrant football acts and non-football acts without being called on the field. In other words, the NFL will now have an added say in whether or not players get ejected from a game.
Finally, a proposal was submitted for one year only to allow the NFL Officiating Department to correct clear and obvious misses made by on-field officials that impact the game. This will occur if there is a work stoppage involving the game officials represented by the NFL Referees Association.
The Competition Committee also submitted three bylaw proposals to consider, all of which were approved.
— Permits the League office to adjust the procedures and related dates and deadlines for the final roster reduction to accommodate an international game scheduled in the first week of the regular season.
— Establish the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend as business days to provide clubs with personnel notices during the first weekend after the roster reduction.
— Permit players on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform to begin a 21-day practice period after the club's second game of the regular season.
Finally, a proposal from Pittsburgh was also approved.
The Steelers proposed keeping a rule that was recently implemented where teams could have a video or phone call with up to five prospective unrestricted free agents during the legal tampering period.
This allowed teams earlier this month to make travel arrangements with such players upon agreeing to terms on a new contract. Pittsburgh cited competitive fairness in its proposal submission.
The Browns had proposed a rule that would allow draft selections to be traded up to five seasons in the future, but Cleveland withdrew that proposal on Monday.
