A potentially transformative set of rule proposals were submitted by a handful of NFL clubs on Wednesday.
Perhaps the most significant is a proposal to revamp playoff seeding. Submitted by Detroit, the proposal would amend the current seeding format to allow wild-card qualifiers to be seeded above division champions if they finished with a better regular season record. The No. 1 overall seed would remain the division winner with the best record.
The proposal also states that "if two or more playoff participants finish with the same won-lost-tied percentage at the end of the regular season, priority shall be given to a team or teams that are division champions."
This change would have affected the most recent playoffs in four separate games on Wild Card Weekend. Instead of hosting the 11-6 Chargers on the opening weekend of the postseason, the 10-7 Texans would have traveled to Los Angeles to battle Jim Harbaugh's squad.
On the NFC side, the adjustments would have been plentiful. Instead of hosting the Vikings (14-3), the Rams (10-7) would have traveled to Philadelphia (14-3) to face the Eagles (which ended up being a Divisional Round matchup), while Tampa Bay (10-7) would have hit the road for Minnesota instead of hosting the Commanders (12-5). Green Bay (11-6) would have traveled to Washington to face Jayden Daniels' squad instead of going to Philadelphia, where the Packers lost to the eventual Super Bowl LIX champion Eagles.
Modeling playoff seeding by overall record is not a new concept to North American sports. For example, the NBA eliminated prioritizing division champions in their postseason seeding in 2015. MLB, meanwhile, still gives a seeding advantage to division champions over wild-card qualifiers, organizing them in descending order by division title winners, and then by wild cards.
The playoff format revamp was just one of eight proposals submitted by clubs on Wednesday. Green Bay has formalized its effort to ban Philadelphia's highly effective take on the quarterback sneak (commonly known as the tush push), while Detroit is aiming to eliminate the automatic first down granted to an offense when a defender is penalized for defensive holding or illegal contact.
Each rule will be discussed and potentially voted upon by ownership at the Annual League Meeting, which begins March 30 in Palm Beach, Florida.
2025 Club Playing Rule Proposals Summary
- By Detroit; amends Rule 8, Section 4, to eliminate an automatic first down as a penalty imposed for defensive holding and illegal contact.
- By Green Bay; amends Rule 12, Section 1, to prohibit an offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap.
- By Philadelphia; amends Rule 16, Section 1, to align the postseason and regular season overtime rules by granting both teams an opportunity to possess the ball regardless of the outcome of the first possession, subject to a 15-minute overtime period in the regular season.
2025 Club Bylaw Proposals Summary
- By Detroit; amends Article XX, Section 20.2 of the Constitution & Bylaws, to amend the current playoff seeding format to allow Wild Card teams to be seeded higher than Division Champions if the Wild Card team has a better regular season record.
- By Detroit; Article XVII, Section 17.1 of the Constitution and Bylaws, to exclude from the 90-player limit a player placed on Reserve/Injured before or on the day of the roster reduction to 53 players, unless such player is Designated for Return.
2025 Club Resolution Proposals Summary
- By Pittsburgh; to permit clubs during the two-day negotiation period to: (i) have one video or phone call with a prospective unrestricted free agent and his player agent; and (ii) permits clubs to arrange for the player's travel upon agreeing to terms with a prospective unrestricted free agent. Travel cannot occur until the beginning of the new league year.
- By Baltimore, Cleveland, Houston, Las Vegas, Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Washington; to permit clubs to prepare kicking footballs ("K-Balls") before game day, similar to the process permitted for game footballs.
- By Washington; to permit clubs that may qualify for the postseason to obtain scouting credentials for two consecutive games (Weeks 17 and 18) played by a potential postseason opponent. Also requires clubs hosting Wild Card games to provide scouting credentials to all teams within the same conference who are participating in the postseason.
