During this years' NFL Annual Meeting, a few rule changes were up for approval including banning the "tush push," overtime and kickoff rules.
The league approved changes to the dynamic kick off and under the new changes that were approved on Tuesday, the ball will now be placed on the 35-yard line after touchbacks, instead of the 30-yard line, which is where it was placed last season. The hope with the change is to increase the amount of kick returns.
Also approved was giving both teams a chance to possess the ball in a 10-minute overtime during the regular season, regardless of if the first team scores on their opening possession.
Added for 2025 will be an expanded replay assist to reverse flags that are thrown for hits to defenseless players, fouls for face mask, horse collar tackles, tripping and roughing the kicker.
A rule not approved that has been a huge conversation was banning the "tush push".
"I think it's a good play," head coach Mike Macdonald said. "I understand the positions people have with the health and safety of it. The question of the matter is, if there were to be the injury, the severity of the injury that's at play. You never want to put your players at that type of risk, so that's something you have to measure against any other football play that you see on a normal basis. It seems to me like there's enough plays where we feel like that isn't the case right now, so I think it's a good play. You've got to defend it, and maybe we'll execute it one day."
The ban was not passed and Falcons CEO and competition committee co-chairman Rich McKay said, "it was discussed for 30-40 minutes, a lot of discussion, a lot of teams had a lot of views. You never like any discussion of any rule to be projected towards a team or two. It's never something we like doing, because that why it's being discussed. In this case, the discussion became, No. 1, safety, No. 2, should you have to defend it, No. 3, is this part of the history of football? All of those kind of discussions happened. I think we evolved to the idea that—up to 2004, we had rules in place that prohibited pushing and pulling, and we deleted that from the (rule) book because it became harder for officials to officiate downfield what was going on. So that got deleted, and from that came a play like this. So the idea was, listen, as opposed to voting on this particular proposal today, Green Bay asked, could we go back and talking about reintroducing 2004 language, study it, understand it and talk about it again."
Additional bylaws approved include:
- Clubs permitted to designate two players to return during the teams' roster cutdown to 53 players.
- Clubs will receive two additional "designated for return" players in the post-season, which are players coming off injured reserve who can practice and potentially return to the active roster. The former number was eight and the new number allowed is 10 players.
- The NFL will use a Point Differential as a third tie breaker for awarding contracts.
Check out every Seahawks' roster move for the 2025 season. (Updated on March 25, 2025)
Seahawks defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna (92) was signed to a future contact on January 6, 2025.
Seahawks cornerback Ryan Cooper (35) was signed to a future contract on January 6, 2025.
Seahawks linebacker Michael Dowell (46) was signed to a future contract on January 6, 2025.
Seahawks cornerback Tyler Hall (33) was signed to a future contract on January 6, 2025.
Seahawks center Mike Novitsky was signed to a future contract on January 6, 2025.
Seahawks defensive end Kenneth Odumegwu (77) was signed to a future contract on January 6, 2025.
Seahawks safety Ty Okada (39) was signed to a future contract on January 6, 2025.
Seahawks wide receiver Cornell Powell (0) was signed to a future contract on January 6, 2025.
Seahawks linebacker Jamie Sheriff (44) was signed to a future contract on January 6, 2025.
Seahawks linebacker Tyreke Smith (59) was signed to a future contract on January 6, 2025.
Seahawks cornerback Damarion Williams (37) was signed to a future contract on January 6, 2025.
Seahawks cornerback JT Woods was signed to future contract on January 17, 2025.
Seahawks guard Sala Aumavae-Laulu was signed to a future contract on February 2, 2025.
Seahawks cornerback Ryan Cooper was released on February 21, 2025.
Seahawks wide receiver Cornell Powell was released on February 21, 2025.
Seahawks tackle George Fant (74) was released on March 4, 2025.
Seahawks safety Rayshawn Jenkins (2) was released on March 4, 2025.
Seahawks linebacker Dre'Mont Jones (55) was released on March 4, 2025.
Seahawks defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris (98) was released on March 4, 2025.
Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett (16) was released on March 5, 2025.
Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe (29) was re-signed on March 6, 2025.
Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed (90) was re-signed on Monday, March 10, 2025.
Seahawks re-signed linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.
The Seahawks traded quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for the 92nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on March 13, 2025.
The Seahawks traded wide receiver DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for the 52nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on March 13, 2025. As part of the trade, the Seahawks also sent the 185th overall pick to Pittsburgh and received the 223 overall pick in the draft.
The Seahawks signed quarterback Sam Darnold (14) to a multi-year deal on March 13, 2025.
The Seahawks signed guard/tackle Josh Jones on March 13, 2025.
The Seahawks signed wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling on March 13, 2025.
The Seahawks signed defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence to a multi-year deal on March 13, 2025.
The Seahawks re-signed wide receiver Cody White (82) on March 14, 2025.
The Seahawks signed wide receiver Cooper Kupp on March 18, 2025.
The Seahawks signed cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles on March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
The Seahawks signed wide receiver River Cracraft on March 21, 2025.
The Seahawks re-signed linebacker Josh Ross (18) on March 21, 2025.
The Seahawks signed safety D'Anthony Bell on March 24, 2025.
The Seahawks signed tight end Eric Saubert on March 24, 2025.
The Seahawks signed wide receiver Steven Sims on March 25, 2025.
