The onside kick works about 6% of the time

The onside kick used to be a genuine last-gasp weapon. It is now closer to a formality performed before conceding.

The number

Over the past three seasons the onside kick has been recovered roughly six percent of the time.

And you have to announce it

Under the dynamic kickoff, an onside attempt uses a different formation, so a team must declare its intention beforehand. The receiving team therefore knows exactly what is coming and lines up accordingly. A surprise onside kick, in the old sense, no longer exists.

A six percent play that the other team is told about in advance.

The 2025 attempt to revive it

• 01Teams can now declare an onside attempt at any point in the game, not only in the fourth quarter
• 02The ten non-kickers may put their front foot on the line rather than lining up behind it
• 03Coverage players line up a yard closer

The stated aim is to lift recovery from about six percent to at least ten. That is the honest scale of the ambition: the league is not trying to make the onside kick good, only to make it worth attempting.

The change came partly from a Super Bowl in which Kansas City, down 28 with a minute left in the third quarter, had to kick deep because the rules would not let them try one yet.