The Worst Rules In Football Right Now

by Richard Janvrin, January 22, 2026

As time has gone on in the NFL, new rules have been introduced or altered all the time. Now, many of those rules are labeled by some as the “worst rule in football.”

Below, I have five rules that are polarizing and fall into the “worst NFL rules” bucket for many fans.

Let’s check them out.

• The Dynamic Kickoff
• Roughing the Passer Changes
• The “Tush Push”
• Fumble Out of the End Zone
• Touchdown Celebrations

The Dynamic Kickoff

The Dynamic Kickoff is one of the more polarizing rule changes in the NFL in recent memory.

The ball is kicked off from the 35-yard line on kickoffs. The kickoff team will then start with their front foot facing the receiving team’s 40-yard line. The kicker cannot cross the 50-yard line until the ball touches the ground or a player in the landing zone.

But what’s the landing zone? This is between the receiving team’s goal line and the 20-yard line. If a kick is short of the 20-yard line or goes out of bounds, it’s placed at the 40-yard line.

As for the players, you have the kicking team in front of the receiving team’s 40-yard line, and the receiving team is lined up between the 30-35-yard line. No one can move besides the kicker (and can’t advance beyond the 50-yard line) until the ball touches the landing zone or is touched by a returner.

The purpose is to reduce player collisions along with helping create big plays such as kick returns, which can be wagered on at the best NFL betting sites.

The problem with it from a fan’s perspective, though, is that it may look unnatural for an entire team to be lined up within a few yards of each other, but unable to move until the ball lands in a specified zone or is caught by a returner (there can be up to two returners).

On the other hand, not only does this reduce injury, but it also restores the kickoff itself. In the past, under the old rules, kickoffs were becoming exceedingly rare, with players fair-catching or kneeling in the end zone for a touchback, or kickers kicking it out of the back of the end zone.

From 2016 through 2024, there were two kickoffs or fewer per game. Under the new rules, in 2025, it’s up to 3.9, the highest since the average was 4 returns per game in 2010.

In fact, even President Donald Trump has come out against it:

“I think it’s so terrible. I think it’s so demeaning, and I think it hurts the game. It hurts the pageantry,” Trump said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I’ve told that to (NFL Commissioner) Roger Goodell, and I don’t think it’s any safer. I mean, you still have guys crashing into each other.”

Long-time Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub responded to the President’s comments, saying:

“He doesn’t even know what he’s looking at. He has no idea what’s going on with the kickoff rule,” said Toub via CNN.

“So take that for what it’s worth. And I hope he hears it.”

Trump has criticized the kickoff on multiple occasions, as have many fans.

However, this rule, which some, including the President, consider the worst rule in football, appears to be here to stay for a while, as kickoff numbers are up and there are fewer injuries. It seems like a win-win for the entire league despite the “bad NFL rule” outlook by some.

Roughing the Passer Changes

Over time, the NFL has altered its rules to help keep players healthy and reduce injuries, but as a result, the roughing passer penalty has become, to some, one of the worst NFL rules.

However, every Sunday, Monday, Thursday, and sometimes Friday or Saturday, depending on the game, fans are stunned by what is called “roughing the passer.”

Here are the official NFL rules (paraphrased) on roughing the passer:

• Quarterbacks in the passing posture are considered defenseless, so any unnecessary contact before, during, or after a throw is a foul.
• Once a ball is thrown, a defender may hit the quarterback only once, then must avoid or minimize contact thereafter.
• Defenders who sack or hit a quarterback and fall on them with their body weight will be flagged.
• Cannot hit them in the head or neck.
• Cannot hit them in their knees or below.
• Outside of the pocket, the rules around one-step and low hits are removed, but hits to the head or neck will be flagged.
• If a defender controls a quarterback who is not yet on the ground, the play should be blown dead.

Now, there’s a lot in there that makes sense, such as the head and neck and avoiding the knees, but the one-step rule or even body weight is going to be difficult, on average,t o stop. These are world-class athletes, and stopping momentum like that can be difficult.

You often see chatter where “everything is a flag,” and in some games, it can certainly feel that way.

The “Tush Push”

The “tush push” is more of a play, but it was debated before the season, and no rule was created to address it. Thus, it not having a rule makes it one of the worst NFL rules to some.

This is a play popularized by the Philadelphia Eagles: a modified quarterback sneak in which the quarterback positions himself to charge forward, with teammates directly behind him to help push him through the line and gain leverage on the defensive line, convert short-yardage situations, or even score touchdowns.

Many have argued that the Eagles commit uncalled false-start penalties, which helps them succeed. That said, referees have kept a much closer eye on this this season, and the Eagles have been flagged for false starts when conducting the ball.

Critics argue it’s more of a rugby play than a football play, while others say it’s part of the physicality of football.

For now, the play remains a part of the game until a rule changes things.

Fumble Out of the End Zone

Right now, one of the more unpopular rules in the NFL is that, if a player fumbles the ball out of the end zone of the opposing team, that team will then get the ball on their own 20-yard line. We’ve seen this happen many times, with players reaching for the pylon to score a touchdown.

However, it’s controversial because it can penalize offenses for scoring drives that extend too long. Also, in other circumstances, if a ball is fumbled and goes out of bounds, the team retains possession and is down at the spot where it went out of bounds.

Right now, the biggest question is, if it doesn’t result in a change of possession, what exactly should happen?

This rule will continue to be debated by the competition committee, as some fans may view it as a bad NFL rule.

Touchdown Celebrations

Scoring a touchdown is not only exhilarating for the fan but also for the player himself. It could be their first in the NFL or their 100th, but scoring a touchdown in front of a live crowd of 50,000-plus fans is a feeling that not many can relate to.

Thus, calls for unsportsmanlike conduct related to touchdown celebrations make this one of the most hated NFL rules.

Additionally, fans love seeing a good touchdown celebration or one that’s a player’s signature.

However, the NFL has cracked down on these. In the rulebook it reads, “Any violent gesture, which shall include, but not be limited to, a throat slash, simulating firing or brandishing a gun, or using the ‘nose wipe’ gesture, or an act that is sexually suggestive or offensive.”

It also mentioned prolonged or excessive celebrations, using any object as a prop, or “possessing any foreign or extraneous object(s) that are not part of the uniform on the field or the sideline during the game, other than the football after a scoring play or change of possession.”

A popular celebration was current Buffalo Bills wide receiver Brandin Cooks. In previous seasons, when he’d scored, he did a bow-and-arrow shooting motion. Well, that falls under the “violent gesture,” adding this to the list of the “worst rules in football.”

Now, players also need to watch their first during something like a first down celebration so as not to mimic a gun.

Many critics refer to the NFL as the “No Fun League”, citing rules like this as part of that label.