The NFL isn’t usually a league to adjust to significant rule changes. Sure, the league meets every year to discuss potential rule changes, and some are made. In recent years, the NFL completely overhauled the kickoff play to make it safer for players. Where did the NFL get the idea from? The United Football League (UFL).
It’s been a positive change for the league, as injuries have dropped significantly since adopting the rule from the UFL over the last two seasons. The rule has also led to more returns and fewer touchbacks. A win for all.
What if the NFL copied another popular UFL rule? This one may not be as easy. It’s the UFL’s four-point play, which is for when a kicker makes a field goal of 60 yards or longer. Considering how many strong-legged kickers there are in the NFL, where 60-yard field goals are becoming more common, it could be a good thing.
Last season, NFL kickers made 12 of 22 attempts from 60 yards or longer. In the past, most teams would not even bother with a 60-yard attempt.
What do NFL kickers think about a potential four-point play?
Washington Commanders kicker Jake Moody loves the idea.
“I think that’d be kind of cool,” Moody told Michael DiRocco of ESPN. “Why not? It’s like basketball; they got the 3-pointer ….. I feel like there’d be a lot more attempts for sure. So you probably practice your longer range, 60-plus kicks a lot more.”
Moody is known to have a strong leg, too, but has never attempted a 60-yard field goal in an NFL game since entering the league in 2023. His longest career made field goal is from 57 yards, and he hit a 59-yarder during his college career at Michigan.
Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey, who is arguably the best kicker in the NFL, is more skeptical.
“I think it’s a little weird,” he said. “Kind of incentivizes you to stall the drive in a certain spot. It makes you really, really question your playcalling around that 50-yard line area. It’s interesting for kickers that have the leg to get it there, maybe [there’s] a little bit more value there. But kind of perverses the incentives of football where the goal is to get it as close to the other person’s half as possible.”
That’s surprising since Aubrey routinely attempts field goals from 60 yards or longer. He made three from 60 yards or more last season alone. It’s certainly an interesting perspective from Aubrey. And he’s right; it would change the mindsets of some offensive playcallers near midfield.
It will be interesting to see these numbers continue to go up in 2026. If they do, perhaps it’s time to have that conversation.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders’ Jake Moody in favor of NFL adopting UFL’s 4-point play
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