Football Nation diagram explaining why an NFL kickoff out of bounds can place the ball at the 40-yard line.

Why Does a Kickoff Out of Bounds Put the Ball at the 40?

Sep 9

2 min read

Updated: Oct 10

On a standard NFL kickoff from the kicking team’s 35, an untouched kick out of bounds between the goal lines usually gives the receiving team possession at its own 40. That location comes from measuring 25 yards from the kick spot.

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

Penn State kicker sends the football downfield during the 2007 season opener — Penn State kicks off in its 2007 season opener. Photo by Ben Stanfield (acaben), CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The rule is based on distance and options, not one permanent yard line. A penalty moving the kick changes the calculation, and a safety kick uses a 30 yard placement option.

Which touch matters?

The kicking team may not kick the ball out between the goal lines or be the last team to touch it before it goes out there. If the receiving team is last to touch, it normally puts the ball in play at the corresponding inbounds spot instead.

For example, a valid kickoff reaches the landing zone at the 15, glances off a receiver and crosses the sideline at the 12 without another touch. The receiver’s last touch changes the result; the ordinary untouched kick award at the 40 does not apply.

A returner standing out of bounds when touching the ball presents a different boundary situation. Officials must evaluate the player’s status at contact, not just which uniform touched last.

The placement options

Rule 6, Section 2, Article 4 lets the receivers choose the specified distance from the kick or an applicable better out of bounds or short kick spot. An untouched ball sailing out at the receiving 12 is why the 40 is usually the useful choice on a standard kickoff.

The article also covers a normal kickoff first touching the ground or a player short of the landing zone. That kick is dead; it is not a legal surprise onside attempt. See what happens when a kickoff lands short.

Sideline and end zone are different

A kick exiting through the receiving end zone is governed by touchback placement, rather than the sideline foul. The 2026 rules distinguish direct end zone kicks from balls first touching the landing zone, with a separate midfield kickoff exception.

Watch three facts: where the kick began, whether it reached the landing zone, and the boundary and touch sequence. Those explain why similar looking kicks can place the offense at very different spots.