The NFL recently announced the approved rule, bylaw and regulation changes for the 2025 season as well as some interesting tech.
Back in the 1990s, a few of us posited that the NFL could have a sensor net attached to the inside of the footballs that allowed a system of cameras and sideline sensors to geolocate the ball with unerring certainty. At the time, Foxsports had pioneered hockey puck tracking for the NHL viewers. Surely, if Fox and the NHL could track a puck that moves significantly faster than a football, the NFL with its seemingly unending revenue streams could do the same, if not better.
This would stop all the game-altering bad spots, missed and/or errantly gained first downs and touchdowns.
Well, here we are, decades later, and a geolocating tech has been employed and proven to work in futbol, rugby, tennis and several other sports. Then, this announcement came out:
NFL Communications
View this press release online
New York and Palm Beach, FL – April 1, 2025 – Sony’s Hawk-Eye technology will be used by the National Football League as the primary method for measuring the line to gain, beginning with the 2025 season.
Sony’s Hawk-Eye virtual measurement system allows the NFL to accurately and efficiently measure the distance between the spotted ball and the line to gain. The technology, tested extensively last season, will bring a new level of precision and speed to NFL officiating.
“The NFL and Sony are integrating world-class on-field officiating with state-of-the-art technology to advance football excellence,” said Troy Vincent, executive vice president of football operations at the NFL. “Combining the art of officiating with Sony’s trusted Hawk-Eye system is a healthy recipe for success in our commitment to raising the standards of accuracy, consistency and efficiency. Replay technology and data-driven insights from Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations aid us in advancing our efforts toward the future of football.”
Sony’s Hawk-Eye virtual measurement technology will serve as an efficient alternative to the process of walking chains onto the field and manually measuring whether 10 yards have been met after the official has spotted the ball. The chain crew will remain on the field in a secondary capacity.
Hawk-Eye, which will be deployed across all 30 NFL stadiums and the international venues hosting NFL games, consists of six 8K cameras for optical tracking of the position of the ball. The system is operated from the NFL’s Art McNally GameDay Central Officiating Center (AMGC) in New York and is integrated with the league’s existing replay system.
As on-field officials are notified of the measurement outcome, virtual recreations of measurements are produced in real time for the in-stadium and broadcast audience. The full operational process takes around 30 seconds, saving up to 40 seconds from a measurement with the chains.
Since it was announced yesterday, and the ability to track the football with technology has existed since the last century, this might be an eleborate April Fool’s Joke. Why would the NFL want to take the ability to screw up the game away from the officials?
However, the NFL discreetly made mention of this last summer, and the echo chamber of football news has reverberated this story to the edges of the Earth. So, it’s probably true. Maybe.
Next up we have the approved rule changes:
NFL Communications
1-A. By Competition Committee; amends Rule 6, to make permanent the new form of free kick play implemented in 2024 designed to 1) resemble a typical scrimmage play by aligning players on both teams closer together and restricting movement to reduce space and speed and 2) promote more returns, subject to the following changes: (a) modifies the alignment requirements for receiving team players in the setup zone; (b) changes the dead ball spot after a touchback to the 35-yard line if the ball lands in the end zone and is downed in the end zone by the receiving team or goes out of bounds behind the receiving team’s goal line.
2-A. By Competition Committee; aligns the postseason and regular season overtime rules by granting both teams an opportunity to possess the ball regardless of the outcome of the first possession, subject to a 10-minute overtime period in the regular season.
3. By Competition Committee; amends Rule 15, to expand Instant Replay’s ability to advise the on-field officials on specific, objective aspects of a play and/or to address game administration issues when clear and obvious video evidence is present.
So, the new free kick introduced last season is now permanent, overtime rules are now the same in regular and post season, and instant replay broadens the scope of information available to in-game officials.
Then we have the 2025 Bylaw changes:
1. By Competition Committee; amends Article XVII, Section 17.16 of the Constitution and Bylaws, to permit clubs to designate two players for return at the roster reduction to 53 players.
2. By Competition Committee; amends Article XVII, Section 17.16 of the Constitution and Bylaws, to permit clubs participating in the postseason to receive two additional DFRs increasing the maximum from 8 to 10.
3. By Competition Committee; amends Article XVIII, Section 18.5 of the Constitution and Bylaws, to insert Point Differential as the third tiebreaker for awarding contracts.
And resolutions:
G-1A. By Pittsburgh; for one-year only, permits clubs to have one video or phone call with no more than five prospective Unrestricted Free Agent during the Two-Day Negotiation Period. Permits clubs to make travel arrangements with such players upon agreeing to terms.
G-2. By Baltimore, Cleveland, Houston, Las Vegas, Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Washington; to permit clubs to prepare kicking footballs (“K-Balls”) before game day, similar to the process permitted for game footballs.
G-3. By Washington; to permit clubs that may qualify for the postseason to obtain scouting credentials for two consecutive games (Weeks 17 and 18) played by a potential postseason opponent. Also requires clubs hosting Wild Card games to provide scouting credentials to all teams within the same conference who are participating in the postseason.
The Houston Texans seem to have submitted the kicking ball resolution, along with the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders. But, it doesn’t appear that Nick Caserio and crew were involved in any other proposals.
Which team won the Try Hard award for most game changing requests? The Detroit Lions. For those who follow the motor city football club, the feeling they were screwed more than once by the officials lingers on from last season. Had the Kansas City Chiefs not lost the Super Bowl to the Eagles, that feeling might linger for a large portion of the overall NFL fanbase too.
Either way, now that this is over, it’s time to focus on the NFL draft. April 24th can’t get here fast enough.
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