The NFL is a behemoth in multiple ways. The most popular league in America dominates the sports calendar, and fans can’t get enough of the NFL and everything that revolves around the 32 teams. While the NFL is massively successful, there are some aspects of the league that can be improved.
There were plenty of aspects that hooked fans into the NFL in the 1990s and 2000s which are nearly nonexistent. The physicality has been toned down significantly and players haven’t been able to express themselves like they used to. New Orleans Saints pass rusher Cameron Jordan pointed out the latter during an interview at Fanatics Fest this past weekend, mentioning a rule he would like to eliminate.
“For the fans, I think it’s the excessive celebration,” Jordan said. “If you don’t let them celebrate, they scored a touchdown, they dragged three defenders on their back. I got a sack on the quarterback, just give me five seconds.”
The league is strict toward the taunting penalties and excessive celebrations, which used to be extremely popular in the 1990s and 2000s. Of course the NFL has loosened up on a few things in the last few years, but there are some rules that could be eliminated to improve the product and make the game better.
So what are some of the silliest rules in the NFL right now? These are five we’d like to see changed.
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Cody Benjamin
10-minute overtime in regular season
The NFL plays four 15-minute quarters in regular-season and postseason games. If the game goes to overtime in the postseason, the quarters are 15 minutes. If a game goes to overtime in the regular season, the overtime period is 10 minutes.
Explain how this makes sense at all. Teams play 15-minute quarters then they get reduced to 10 in overtime? Let’s add on the overtime rule change this year that reflects the postseaosn overtime rules in the regular season. Both teams will now be guaranteed at least one possession during the overtime period, regardless of what happens on the first possession.
With both teams having possession, shouldn’t the regular-season overtime be longer than 10 minutes? Not only does this prevent ties, but gives teams more time to work on possessions and execute plays since the other team is getting the ball back anyway.
Regular-season overtime went from 15 minutes to 10 minutes in 2017. It should change back to 15 minutes.
Taunting penalties, excessive celebrations
The NFL was dubbed the “No Fun League” for a reason, and the taunting penalties have gotten way out of hand. Terrell Owens celebrating on the Dallas Cowboys star logo at midfield will always be memorable, same with Chad Ochocinco using the Pittsburgh Steelers “Terrible Towel” to wipe his cleats after a score.
Pass rushers doing sack dances and celebrations, Jamal Anderson doing the dirty bird, A.J. Brown pointing at defenders after scoring a touchdown — those are all penalties. A player gets a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for their team and gets hit with a fine, all for having a little fun.
It’s hard to score a touchdown, record a sack, or get an interception. Let the players celebrate the achievement.
No intentional grounding when throwing outside of tackle box
The intentional grounding rule itself can stick around, but there’s a major rule change quarterbacks have used to their advantage for over 30 years. In 1993, quarterbacks were allowed to throw the ball away outside of the tackle box — one of the rules favored to protect quarterbacks from getting hit (several changes to protect quarterbacks have happened since).
Quarterbacks just roll out of the pocket when the pocket collapses and throw the ball away — mostly out of bounds — resulting in an incomplete pass and no penalty is enforced. They can even throw the ball away as long as there is a receiver in the vicinity, but shouldn’t that be grounding if the receiver isn’t looking for the ball or he has no chance to catch the pass?
If throwing the ball out of bounds resulted in intentional grounding, that would extend the play for the offense and allow the pass rushers an opportunity to get more sacks. Most rules don’t favor the defense, so this one will unfortunately stick around.
Declaring an onside kick
The onside kick is one of the more creative plays in football, even with all the strict regulations enforced with the new kickoff rules in place. The element of surprise was what made the onside kick great, as the receiving team didn’t know when it was coming at times during the game. Remember when Sean Payton called an onside kick to start the second half of Super Bowl XLIV?
That element of surprise is now gone. Under the current NFL kickoff rules, teams must declare when they will run an onside kick. The team can only declare an onside kick when they are trailing, which takes away the creativity and element of surprise. If the other team knows the onside kick is coming, what’s the point?
The team that’s trailing used to be able to only call for an onside kick in the fourth quarter, but that has changed to the entire game for 2025. At least the rule has improved somewhat.
Automatic first downs for illegal contact/defensive holding
Explaining the illegal contact penalty is a simple one. If a defensive player makes illegal contract with a pass catcher 5 yards from the line of scrimmage (the 5-yard zone) — or impedes a receiver from catching the ball — it results in a penalty. Simple right?
The penalty isn’t 15 yards and an automatic first down. It’s just 5 yards and an automatic first down; pretty severe for a defender who may have only committed a tug. Should the penalty just be 5 yards and not an automatic first down?
Of course, there are different scenarios in play. Obviously on a third-and-4 play the penalty will result in a first down. But what about a third-and-8 play? How about a 5-yard penalty and a replay of down? Similar to a false start or defensive offside penalty.
This is a minor tweak to the rule, but one that would help the defense out. Of course, this likely won’t change either.