The NFL Used To Allow An Onside Kick Only In The Fourth Quarter. Now It Is Any Time.

Football has almost no play you are required to telegraph. The declared onside kick is the exception, and for the 2026 season it became available at any point in the game.

The declaration

Rule 6, Section 1, Article 6: at any time during the game, the kicking team may declare an onside kick by notifying the Referee prior to the start of the play clock - the 25-second play clock that begins after the game official hands the kicker the ball. The Referee then notifies the receiving team before starting the play clock.

What changed for 2026

The 2026 rules changes table lists only four entries, and three of them are kickoff rules: 6-1-3 modifies alignment requirements for receiving team players in the setup zone, 6-1-5 modifies the dead ball spot after a touchback when the kickoff is from the 50-yard line, and 6-1-6 permits the kicking team to declare an onside kick at any time during the game. When the dynamic kickoff format arrived, the declared onside kick was restricted to the fourth quarter and to a team that was behind.

The Referee will then notify the receiving team before starting the play clock.

The formation, once it is declared

• 01The kicking team's restraining line is its own 35-yard line, or its 20-yard line for a safety kick, unless a distance penalty moves it
• 02Every kicking team player other than the kicker and the holder must line up with his front foot on that restraining line, both feet on the ground until the ball is kicked
• 03No more than five kicking team players may be on either side of the ball, with the holder counting as one of the five
• 04The receiving team's restraining line is the yard line 10 yards in advance of the kicking team's
• 05The kicking team may legally touch, catch or recover the ball only once it has touched a receiving team player or reached or crossed the receiving team's restraining line