A fourth-down onside kick alternative is the “gimmick” the NFL needs

By Mike Florio

Last year, the NFL dramatically changed the kickoff in large part because the prior play had become a “dead play.” And the impact of the new kickoff on the onside kick has made that play even more deceased.

Beyond the elimination of the ability of the kicking team to deploy a surprise onside kick, it’s harder than ever for the team that is trailing to retain possession by kicking the ball at least 10 yards and recovering it.

The most obvious alternative comes from giving the team that’s losing the option to run a fourth-down play. Whether the distance is 15 yards, 18 yards, or 20 yards, a play from scrimmage would be more exciting than a demolition derby that doesn’t yield a positive result often enough to justify the physical toll it takes on the players.

A year after the Eagles proposed a fourth-and-20 play, no one is proposing an onside alternative in 2025. The NFL supposedly isn’t interested in a “gimmick.”

That’s a very bad (and frankly lazy) way of thinking about the best interests of the game. Any new idea can be dismissed as a gimmick. (Newspapers throughout the country are out of business because, 30 years ago, they viewed the Internet as a “gimmick.”)

Is a fourth-and-long play a “gimmick”? One definition for the term is that it’s “a trick or device used to attract business or attention.” Another is this: “an ingenious and usually new scheme or angle.”

Yes, the fourth-and-long play is a gimmick. The good kind.

Years ago, Commissioner Roger Goodell said he roots for the team that’s losing. It makes sense. And the team that’s losing by multiple scores needs a plausible chance to turn a lost cause into a close game.

The onside kick currently doesn’t do that. A fourth-and-long play would.

Consider the most recent NFL game we witnessed. After the Eagles built a 34-0 lead with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter, it was obvious the Chiefs had no chance. But if Patrick Mahomes and company would have had a fourth-and-long path to retaining possession, there would have been at least a shred of hope.

This one is baffling, frankly. The onside kick is broken beyond repair (and they’re not even trying to repair it). The team that’s losing by more than one score has no effective opportunity to keep the ball. The only way to fix the situation is to use a fourth-down alternative.

If it’s a “gimmick,” it’s a gimmick the NFL desperately needs.