Smart Ideas for NFL Rule Changes – Including the 2026 Half Time Show
Guest post by Wisco Rolf Lindgren
The NFL is in serious need of some rule changes. President Trump and I agree the new kickoff rule has to go. But there is more.
17-game seasons are way too long. Too many players are injured. Too many careers are shortened by injury. Too many players sit out for “load management”. Mathematically, fewer big games decide playoff berths in a longer season.
There are also too many wild cards and too many divisions. Many wild card teams aren’t that good and have no shot at winning the Super Bowl. Four-team divisions are too small and have no history or tradition. Sometimes teams with losing records win their division. Ridiculous!
Enough of the common rants. Here are some original ideas.
A shorter season means fewer TV weekends. But this can be compensated for by adding in more bye weeks and more preseason games. The NFL played six preseason games per team in the 1970s. If you go back to a 12-game season like the NFL had from 1947-1960, add in three byes, and six preseason games, then you have 21 weeks of football, plus the playoffs.
Original Rule Change # 1:Â If a team has a winning record in the preseason, count that as one win to the regular season total. If a team has a losing record in preseason, count that as one loss. And if a team is .500, count it as a tie. This will increase ratings of preseason games. Just imagine how cool that would be!
Original Rule Change # 2:Â Bring back two-way players like we still have in high school. Or last year’s Heisman Trophy winner Travis “The Unicorn” Hunter. This means ending free substitution.
Two-way players will result in smaller, more versatile athletes, and fewer serious injuries. They also will play on special teams. The NFL had two-way ball prior to 1950. No more 350-pound behemoths who could never run around for 60 minutes. We have too many one-skill specialists. Here are some examples of great multi-skilled athletes that would be massive media stars today.
* Don “Alabama Antelope” Hutson of the Green Bay Packers led the NFL in interception return yards on defense, field goals kicked on special teams, and receiving yards on offense in 1942.
* Slingin’ Sammy Baugh of the Washington Redskins led the NFL in interceptions on defense, punting average on special teams, and completed passes on offense in 1943.
* Bullet Bill Dudley of the Pittsburg Steelers led the NFL in interceptions on defense, punt return yards on special teams, and rushing yards on offense in 1946.
Imagine how big these stars would be today! It would be incredible!!!!
Here is how the rule would work more specifically under the Wisco Rolf plan.
Each team can designate one offense-only and one defense-only player so the NFL can retain star quarterbacks that are needed for media coverage. But otherwise, only one free substitution can be made during timeouts or at the end of a quarter. In any other case, if you take a player out of the game, they can’t return (like in baseball). This would be really nifty because it would involve a lot of strategy as to when timeouts and substitutions are made.
More implications
This means a player already on the field has to kick extra points, field goals, or punts, unless you make a strategic timeout and/or substitution.
This would be really nice because NFL kicking specialists are so good that it’s downright boring. Kickers rarely miss inside 40 yards and are expected to make practically everything inside 50 yards. Enough of this!
Original Rule Change # 3: Count drop-kicks as double points. So six points for a drop-kicked field goal and two points for a drop-kicked extra point.
Drop-kicks are way cool. Little Doug Flutie made a drop-kicked XP in a game in 2006. The Wisconsin Badgers had a player back in 1898 named Pat “Kicking Kangaroo” O’Dea who made a 62-yard drop-kick FG against Northwestern!
Final ideas…
* Get rid of overtime in the regular season. Only use OT for the playoffs.
* Replace the atrocious rapper “Bad Bunny” who is slated to sing at the next Super Bowl, with Kid Rock or Jason Aldean.
* Change the name of the Super Bowl to the Super-Duper Bowl.
* Bring back the Washington Redskins.
* Put MAGA symbols on all helmets.
* Change the league name to the NFS:Â Not For Sissies!