Replacement officials, kickoffs, other rule changes will be discussed at annual meeting

Replacement officials, potential rule changes, artificial intelligence, health and safety issues, international growth and flag football will be among many topics discussed when NFL owners, executives and coaches gather for their annual meeting this week in Arizona. One topic that dominated the conversation this time last year — the tush push — isn't on the agenda because there is no proposal to eliminate the play even though it was nearly banned in a close vote in 2025. NFC coaches will speak to reporters on Monday, AFC coaches will do so on Tuesday and Commissioner Roger Goodell closes it out. Here's a look at the several topics: Replacement officials The biggest proposal released by the NFL competition committee is a contingency if the league chooses to use replacement officials in case of a work stoppage as it did to start the 2012 season. The current collective bargaining agreement with the NFL and the NFL Referees Association expires on May 31. The proposal would allow the replay center in New York to advise the on-field officials on any missed roughing the passer or intentional grounding penalty, as well as any act that would have led to an ejection had a penalty been called. The NFL's used of replacement officials for the first three weeks of the 2012 season resulted in several mistakes and wrong calls, including the disputed TD catch known as the "Fail Mary." "The negotiations with the officials have not gone as quickly as we would have wanted," NFL executive Jeff Miller said. "We've made a number of proposals. We're looking to improve the accountability and performance of the officials, and we just haven't gotten to where we need to go. So, we're going to play football this fall, and we're going to need officials to do it. So, this is part of the preparation, and we felt compelled to make these sorts of decisions in anticipation of playing football in a different environment." Dynamic kickoff changes There are several minor tweaks being proposed for the dynamic kickoff rule that is entering its third season. "In 2024, we had 920 returns, and we had 25,000 return yards. In 2025, we had 2,076 returns, and we had 53,869 yards," said Rich McKay, Atlanta Falcons CEO and Competition Committee Chair. "So that's just a crazy change in the game, one that we've worked on for a long time. It's a credit to the special teams coaches who've gotten together and really helped influence where we are on that play. It's a credit to our head coaches for being able to be flexible enough to adopt and adapt, I should say, to the play. So, it's a really good story. "But we won't just leave it alone. This year, we're going to propose that we allow the 5-4-2 alignment. ... That really was the original alignment the special teams coaches wanted, but we were just taking our time and kind of being a little conservative, if you will, in how we allowed the alignment change. So, that's kind of our process and how we got to where we are." Technology and AI The league has embraced advances in technology and artificial intelligence, including putting chips in footballs and using virtual measurements to determine first downs. "The ability to use any modern technologies in media to advance the game on the field or with our fans, especially internationally, is coming at a really important time for the league's growth," Miller said. International growth The NFL is playing nine international games this season, including the first regular-season games in France and Australia. The goal is to eventually play 16 games abroad. "It's an incredibly important area of our business and growth and takes up a good amount of time during these meetings," Miller said. Concussions There were 35 concussions on kickoffs in 2025 compared to eight in 2024 mainly because moving the touchback to the 35-yard line resulted in 1,157 more returns. The kick return rate jumped to 74% from 33% last season, and it was the highest return rate in 15 years. Still, the overall injury rate is lower than previous kickoffs, when the coverage team had a running start compared to the standing start of the new rule. "The goal was to have a fewer, lower injury rate on that play, and to make it seem more like a play from scrimmage, which has been accomplished by and large," Miller said. "But we always knew that we were going to revisit this play as soon as we had more data on it, and with an almost 75% return rate this year, we have a whole lot of plays that we've been working through and a lot of people and we've been working really diligently on this because we think the results are heading into a really good direction. But we do need to address the injuries that we saw to the returner and to the tackler this year." ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL