Kicking has always been a less talked-about topic in the NFL. That is, until a clutch kick is missed, and then suddenly everyone has a hot take on kickers. This past season was an incredible year for kickers. 12 kicks were made from 60+ yards. It was such a good year that NFL media members are starting to kick around the idea of adding an extra point.
It’s not completely unheard of. This past season, the UFL created a rule awarding kickers four points instead of three for making field goals of 60+ yards. In reaction, they saw an uptick in 60+ yard field goals made, as kickers went 8/14 on such tries.
Last season, NFL kickers went 12 for 22 on kicks of 60+ yards. It’s getting some to wonder if the league should consider adopting the UFL’s new rule. After all, they’ve shown a willingness to fix issues like kickoff return rate in recent years.
Brandon Aubrey is personally not a fan of 4-point kicks
If you ask most kickers around the NFL, they love the idea of adding an extra point for 60+ yard field goals. However, if you ask Brandon Aubrey of the Dallas Cowboys, who made three from that distance in 2025, he isn’t as enthusiastic.
“I think it's a little weird," Aubrey told ESPN. "Kind of incentivizes you to stall the drive in a certain spot. It makes you really, really question your playcalling around that 50-yard line area. It's interesting for kickers that have the leg to get it there, maybe [there's] a little bit more value there. But kind of perverses the incentives of football where the goal is to get it as close to the other person's half as possible.”
As with most rule changes, it’s an interesting “unseen” conundrum that could flare up in the right circumstances. In which case, it wouldn’t be that entertaining to watch a team play it safe at midfield rather than continue to take shots downfield. However, not every team has a kicker with a leg like Aubrey’s.
One weak spot for Brian Schottenheimer last season was that, at times, it seemed like he would settle for being around midfield just for Aubrey to kick. Not the end of the world, but as good as the Cowboys' offense will be, they don't need to do that.
At the same time, though, times are changing for NFL kickers. Last year, nine different guys hit a kick from 60+ yards. Cam Little of the Jacksonville Jaguars also set a new record with a 68-yarder. Aubrey adds that it's a win-lose situation.
"I'm conflicted on it. I like it for the kickers. I think it's a nightmare for the playcallers."
It’s easy to get on board with minor rule changes that help clean up the game. Things like kickoff and onside kick rule changes can only affect so much. But when you start tossing out ideas for overhauling scoring, things get tricky.
It would be cool to finally tick off the scores in the “4” section for the Scorigami chart. Yet, realistically, this rule shouldn’t come anywhere near the NFL. Scoring is already at an all-time high. At some point, we should start to consider rules that benefit the defense instead of the offense.
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