There could be fewer kickoff returns in the coming NFL season after the league recently approved a new rule that will encourage players to call fair catches.
Under the new rule, if a kickoff returner calls for a fair catch anywhere inside the 25-yard line, the result will be the same as a touchback — giving his team the ball starting at the 25.
Green Bay Packers All-Pro kick returner Keisean Nixon claims this rule will have no effect on his style of play, calling the new rule “irrelevant” on multiple occasions.
“I ain’t never fair caught anything,” Nixon said on Tuesday, per team insider Matt Schneidman.
Packers First Team All-Pro kick returner Keisean Nixon used the word “irrelevant” multiple times today when discussing the new rule that gives a team the ball at the 25 if they fair catch a kickoff outside the end zone.
“I ain’t never fair caught anything.”
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) May 23, 2023
In his first season with the Packers in 2022, Nixon returned a league-leading 35 kickoffs for a league-leading 1,009 yards — including one 105-yard touchdown return. He also returned 11 punts for 140 yards.
This new rule change standardizes with the college game, which implemented the change in 2018. The rule was approved for a one-year trial, meaning it could be scrapped before the 2024 season.