The NFL’s Most Obscure Rule: 5 Things You Must Know About The Free Kick (Including A Record-Breaking Play)

The term "free kick" in the NFL is one of the most misunderstood and rarely seen rules in professional football. Unlike a standard kickoff after a touchdown or field goal, the two most unique forms of the free kick—the Safety Kick and the Fair Catch Free Kick—are governed by specific, often-forgotten regulations that can dramatically change a game's momentum. As of the current date, December 14, 2025, understanding these obscure set-piece plays is crucial for any expert fan, especially after a historic, record-breaking free kick attempt recently brought the rule back into the spotlight.

A free kick is fundamentally a way to put the ball back into play after a specific scoring event or a special circumstance, allowing the kicking team to kick the ball without an offensive line of scrimmage. The most common free kick is the kickoff, but it's the two rarer variants that hold the true strategic intrigue for coaches and players, often only emerging in high-leverage, desperate situations.

The Two Rare Free Kicks: Safety Kick and Fair Catch Free Kick

While a standard kickoff is technically a free kick, its rules are well-known. The NFL's rulebook, specifically Rule 6, defines the two specialized free kicks that are far less common and have distinct rules separating them from a typical scrimmage kick (like a punt or a field goal attempt from a snap). These two plays are the Safety Kick and the Fair Catch Free Kick.

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1. The Safety Kick: A Strategic Restart After Scoring Two Points

The most common of the two rare free kicks is the Safety Kick, which is mandatory after the defensive team scores a safety. A safety is a two-point score awarded when an opposing player is tackled with the ball in their own end zone. This forces the team that conceded the safety to kick the ball back to the opposition.

• Kicking Location: The kicking team must kick the ball from its own 20-yard line.
• Kick Type Options: Unlike a standard kickoff, the kicking team has three options for the kick: a placekick (without a tee), a drop kick, or a punt. The ability to punt is unique to the safety kick, giving the kicking team a strategic advantage in maximizing distance.
• The Live Ball: The ball is considered "live" and can be recovered by the kicking team only after it has traveled at least 10 yards or if it is first touched by the receiving team.
• Strategic Intent: The primary goal of the safety kick is to give the receiving team good field position in exchange for the two points, while also minimizing the risk for the team that just conceded the safety. Most teams opt for a punt to maximize distance and pin the opponent deep.

2. The Fair Catch Free Kick: The Rarest Three-Point Play

The Fair Catch Free Kick, also known as a Fair Catch Kick or Free Kick Field Goal, is one of the most obscure and exciting rules in the entire NFL rulebook. It is a strategic option that allows the team that just completed a fair catch to attempt an immediate field goal for three points from the spot of the catch.

• Trigger Event: The play is triggered when a player makes a fair catch signal on a free kick (either a kickoff or a safety kick) or a scrimmage kick (a punt).
• The Attempt: The team can choose to attempt a field goal from the spot of the fair catch. The ball is placed on the ground and must be kicked by a placekick (with a holder) or a drop kick. A tee is not permitted.
• Special Rules: The defense is prohibited from rushing the kicker. They must line up 10 yards away from the spot of the kick, similar to a standard kickoff, which makes blocking the kick virtually impossible. This is the key strategic advantage.
• Timing: This play is almost exclusively attempted at the end of a half when a team is too far away for a conventional field goal attempt, but close enough to make a desperate, long-distance free kick field goal.

The Historic Fair Catch Kick That Broke a 47-Year Drought

The Fair Catch Free Kick is so rare that its successful completion is a historic event. For nearly five decades, no team in the NFL had successfully converted this attempt, making the play one of the league's white whales. That all changed in the 2023 NFL season.

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On October 22, 2023, Cameron Dicker, the kicker for the Los Angeles Chargers, made history. Against the Denver Broncos, Dicker successfully converted a 57-yard Fair Catch Free Kick just before halftime. This monumental kick was the first successful attempt since 1976 and is now the longest successful fair-catch free kick in NFL history.

The previous successful attempt was made by Ray Wersching in 1976, while he was playing for the San Diego Chargers. The rarity is highlighted by the fact that several notable attempts in the modern era had failed, including a 60-yard miss by Joey Slye of the Carolina Panthers in 2019 and a massive 71-yard miss by Phil Dawson of the San Francisco 49ers in 2013, a play orchestrated by then-head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Dicker’s successful 57-yard kick demonstrated the strategic value of the obscure rule, allowing the Chargers to add three points to the scoreboard at a distance that would have been a near-impossible field goal from scrimmage.

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3. Free Kick vs. Scrimmage Kick: Understanding the Key Difference

To truly master the NFL's kicking rules and build topical authority, a clear understanding of the difference between a free kick and a scrimmage kick is essential. This distinction governs everything from player alignment to how the ball can be recovered.

• Free Kick: A kick that puts the ball in play from a designated spot, usually after a score or a special circumstance. This includes the kickoff, the safety kick, and the fair catch free kick. The key rule is that the kicking team must line up behind its free-kick line, and the receiving team must line up at least 10 yards away. The ball is "live" and can be recovered by the kicking team after traveling 10 yards or being touched by the receiving team.
• Scrimmage Kick: A kick made by a team from behind the line of scrimmage, typically on fourth down. This includes a punt and a conventional field goal attempt (from a snap). The rules for recovery are much stricter: the kicking team generally cannot advance the ball unless it is first touched by a member of the receiving team beyond the line of scrimmage, with exceptions for blocked kicks.

The Fair Catch Free Kick is a hybrid—it is a free kick in terms of player alignment (no rush, 10-yard separation) but is treated as a field goal attempt for scoring purposes.

The Free Kick and the NFL’s Emphasis on Player Safety

While the Fair Catch Free Kick and the Safety Kick remain constant, the most common free kick—the kickoff—has seen significant rule changes in recent years, particularly in the 2024 NFL season, all in the name of player safety. The league has worked closely with NFL Football Operations to reduce high-speed collisions on kickoffs, which historically had the highest injury rate of any play.

The new kickoff rules, sometimes referred to as the Dynamic Kickoff, dramatically change the alignment of players, placing the two teams just five yards apart instead of the traditional distance. This change, while not directly affecting the Safety Kick or the Fair Catch Free Kick, underscores the league's willingness to modify its "free kick" rules to protect players while maintaining the excitement of the game.

In conclusion, the NFL’s free kick rules are a fascinating area of the game, governed by Rule 6 of the official rulebook. Whether it’s the strategic punt option on a Safety Kick or the almost mythical, record-breaking three-point opportunity of the Fair Catch Free Kick, these obscure set-pieces add layers of complexity and excitement that casual fans often miss. Keep an eye out for these rare occurrences—they are moments of true football history in the making.