The United Football League introduced an innovative rule change for the 2026 season.
UFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino announced Tuesday that not all field goals will be worth three points. Teams can now score four points by converting a kick of 60 yards or longer.
Blandino advocated for the "biggest rule change in football" in a video posted on social media.
"I'm talking to the get-off-my-lawn guy, the purists. Give it a chance," Blandino urged. "Let me tell you: When your team's down four, and they kick that four-point field goal to tie it and go to overtime, I think you're going to become a fan."
It wasn't the only change revealed on Tuesday. Blandino also confirmed that the UFL is banning the "Tush Push."
Behind the UFL's kicking rule change
Alex Slitz/UFL/Getty Images
The tweak wouldn't have affected any UFL games last season, since no one made a field goal longer than 56 yards. However, professional kickers are continuing to expand their range.
Jake Bates made three field goals of 60-plus yards for the Michigan Panthers in 2024 before joining the Detroit Lions. J.J. Molson and Andre Szmyt also hit from 62 and 61 yards, respectively, during the 2024 UFL campaign.
Blandino noted that Brandon Aubrey got his start in the UFL. The Dallas Cowboys would probably love for the NFL to follow the spring league's lead, as Aubrey has drilled six 60-yard field goals in three seasons.
NFL kickers made a dozen field goals of 60 yards or longer last season after converting just four of 15 such attempts in 2024.
"Athletes are getting stronger and faster," Blandino said. "And kickers are shattering records that used to be impossible."
The UFL's tweak could motivate teams to keep testing their kickers' range. Perhaps the NFL will keep a close eye on how the experiment unfolds.
"This isn't just about kicking. It's about rewarding players for taking risks, Blandino said. "The coaches that actually go for it. The plays that make you jump around and hug a stranger. When the players evolve, the game has to respond. This is just the beginning."