Can You Hit the Kicker on an NFL Kickoff?

Sep 9

2 min read

Updated: Oct 10

An NFL receiving player may not run into the free kicker before the kicker recovers his balance. The listed penalty is five yards. More dangerous or unnecessary contact can bring a 15 yard personal foul instead.

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

Kris Brown of the Houston Texans follows through on a kickoff against the Dallas Cowboys in 2010 — Kris Brown kicks off against Dallas in 2010. Photo by MC Glasgow, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

This is the free kick rule used for kickoffs and safety kicks. It is separate from the familiar running into and roughing provisions for punts and field goals.

Balance is the first checkpoint

Immediately after striking the ball, a kicker can be landing on one leg or regaining control of his body. Contact that interferes with that recovery is prohibited under Rule 6, Section 2, Article 3.

Once he has recovered balance, that specific five yard restriction no longer controls. It does not mean every later hit is legal. Officials still apply blocking rules, unnecessary roughness and protections for defenseless players.

Two protections that should not be confused

A kicker standing still or fading backward after the kick is out of the play and must not be unnecessarily contacted until the down ends or he assumes a distinctly defensive position.

Separately, the rulebook identifies the kicker as a defenseless player during the kick and return. Joining the defense does not permit prohibited forcible head or neck contact, lowered helmet contact or other acts forbidden by the player safety rules.

That is why “he became a football player” is not a complete explanation for a collision.

A practical example

A receiving player bumps into the kicker while he is still off balance immediately after the kick. That can be the five yard free kicker foul even if the contact looks relatively modest.

A later unnecessary shot at a stationary kicker can instead be a personal foul. The crew judges the action and the relevant protection, not merely the player’s roster position.

How it affects the return

Free kick enforcement determines whether the penalty is applied with another kick or from the down’s result when the required possession conditions are met. A five yard receiving foul after a return to the 27 can, when the dead ball option applies, move the receivers back to the 22.

Identify the type of kick first, then the kicker’s balance, posture and the actual contact. Do not import every scrimmage kick exception into a kickoff ruling.