Hold up, sports fans, because a wild stat just dropped from the NFL’s operations department, and it is flat-out bananas. Through just four weeks of the 2026 season, there have been a mind-blowing 13,409 kickoff return yards. Seriously, that’s the most ever recorded in the first four weeks of league history, according to Troy Vincent Sr., the executive vice president of the NFL’s football operations department. The league wanted excitement on special teams, and they’re definitely getting *something*.
The Dynamic Kickoff Is Delivering on Volume, If Not Big Plays
Remember when the NFL implemented that dynamic kickoff rule, hoping to inject some life back into special teams? Well, Vincent’s numbers show it’s paying off big time in terms of raw yardage. We’re talking 516 returns across all 32 teams already this season! That’s a huge jump from 2024, when we only averaged 1.7 kickoff returns per game. This season? It’s sitting at 4.0 returns per contest. That’s a massive shift in how much the ball is actually being returned instead of just sailing out for a touchback. The average return is hovering around 26.0 yards, which is right in line with the 2025 season’s 25.9 average, even if it’s a hair down from the 2024 NFL-record average of 27.6 yards. The secret sauce? That rule change approved by owners last season, spotting the ball at the 35-yard line instead of the 30 on touchbacks. That little tweak apparently made all the difference, sending returners flying.
Record Yards, But Seriously, Where Are the Touchdowns?!
Here’s the part that is blowing my mind and should be yours too: despite all these record-breaking return yards, despite all the excitement and players flying down the field, there hasn’t been a single kickoff return touchdown yet this season. Not one! How is that even possible with this much yardage? We saw six of them in the 2025 season, so it’s not like they’re impossible. You’ve got guys like Dylan Laube of the Las Vegas Raiders absolutely tearing it up, leading the NFL with a ridiculous 33.4 yards per return on his seven attempts. And Myles Price of the Minnesota Vikings? He’s got 423 total return yards, leading the league, and he’s still averaging a stellar 30.2 yards per return, ranking third overall. These dudes are clearly getting close. They’re making things happen. But that final step, that trip to the house? It just hasn’t happened.
So, the big question as we look ahead to Week 5: will this be the week we finally see a kickoff return go all the way? The league is clearly getting the excitement they wanted, but that missing element of the game-changing score is just glaring right now. Someone’s gotta break through soon, right?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
Leave a Reply