Football Nation cover showing a holder and kicker with crossed-out tee and field marker under the headline No Tee. No Marker.

Can an NFL Kicker Use a Tee or Mark the Field?

Sep 22

2 min read

Updated: Oct 10

An NFL kicker cannot use a manufactured tee for a field goal or extra point. The kicking team also cannot place an object on the field to assist the attempt. A holder may use a hand or finger to indicate the spot.

Part of Football 101. Explore the guide to choose your next topic.

Tampa Bay placekicker Connor Barth approaches a held football for a field-goal attempt against the New York Giants. — Connor Barth kicks a field goal during Buccaneers–Giants on Nov. 8, 2015. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ned T. Johnston via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain as an official U.S. Air Force work.

The answer changes for kickoffs and safety kicks, whose separate free kick rules permit an approved tee. Identify the play before deciding whether the equipment is legal.

What the scoring kick allows

A normal place kick uses a teammate to hold the ball on the ground. The holder catches the snap, positions the ball and steadies it while the kicker approaches. A rubber platform, tape marker or towel placed to guide the operation is not an allowed substitute.

A hand or finger may mark the intended spot or its immediate vicinity. Existing yard lines and other authorized field markings are different from an object a player places to assist a kick.

A fair catch kick also prohibits a tee. It may look like a kickoff because there is no snap and the opponent stands farther away, but it is a distinct scoring play.

Wet weather does not create an exception

Suppose a holder brings a small rubber block to keep an extra point above muddy turf. The block is prohibited. A holder who points at the intended spot with a finger has used the express allowance.

The relevant field goal articles do not assign a separate fixed yardage penalty for every prohibited aid. Officials must prevent the illegal setup; any additional foul requires its own rule and circumstances.

Once the setup is legal, accuracy is a different question. Whether the ball passes through the correct part of the goal determines the score, while an unsuccessful attempt can trigger separate possession rules.