NFL Kickoffs Are Going Off the Rails

The NFL's most unexpected thrills this year are coming from a place fans rarely look: special teams. Long treated as football's most ignored dimension, the kicking game has suddenly become the league's most experimental frontier, Sports Illustrated reports. The shift began with an otherwise ordinary scene: Florida State's 2025 pro day, where kicker Ryan Fitzgerald—guided by private coach Dan Orner—unveiled a barrage of unpredictable "knuckleball" kickoffs designed to manipulate the NFL's new touchback rule that spots the ball at the 35. Scouts watching were stunned and told Orner to keep the tactic quiet. Instead, Fitzgerald—now with the Carolina Panthers—and Joshua Karty of the Rams (another client of Orner's) are helping transform field position strategy across the league. As Orner put it, "These are mini innovations that can change the game."

Because the rule now incentivizes teams to avoid touchbacks, coordinators started experimenting in the pre-season with kicks that are harder to field, bounce erratically, or force returners into mistakes. It's a shift that's added surprising volatility to what used to be a boringly predictable play, and the NFL is seeing a spike in truly disruptive special teams moments. Through 10 weeks, there have been 23 blocked field goals and punts, some that decided games outright. And with kickers increasingly comfortable pushing their limits, long-distance attempts are surging. The idea of a 70-yard field goal now feels like a strategic possibility instead of just a stunt. "Special teams are the wild, wild west," said Titans special teams coach John Fassel.

The renaissance is also reshaping how teams value the specialists who make these plays possible. Historically valued less than coordinators on offense or defense, special teams coordinators are now regarded as essential technicians. "Special teams is not just a slack hire anymore," said Texans special teams coordinator Frank Ross. "It's a factor." Meanwhile, the position groups they oversee are becoming deeper, faster, and more athletic. International influence is also accelerating the shift, with Australian punters and globally trained kickers bringing new styles and techniques into the league's mainstream. Reflecting on the movement's momentum, Rams kicker Karty said, "It's not going away." More here.