Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce has made a bold proposal that could change the game of football as we know it—he wants to minimize the role of kickers in the NFL, or perhaps do away with the position entirely.
On the latest episode of his popular podcast, New Heights, which he co-hosts with his brother and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, Jason went on a passionate rant about what he sees as the excessive influence of kickers on the outcome of NFL games. He voiced his frustration with how routine long field goals have become, even suggesting that kickers have too much control over the game’s results.
“Kickers are making 60-yarders like it’s nothing. We need to narrow these field goals,” Jason said, referring to the ease with which kickers are now hitting long-range attempts. “It’s too easy. We need to go to rugby goalposts. Kickers shouldn’t be deciding football games as much as they are right now.”
To clarify, the goalposts in rugby union are only slightly narrower than those in the NFL—5.6 meters (18 feet, 4.4 inches) in rugby, compared to the NFL’s 5.64 meters (18 feet, 6 inches). But Jason’s frustration seemed to stem less from the exact dimensions and more from the fact that kicking, in his opinion, has taken away from the core aspects of football.
“We need to make kickers way less valuable. That’s not what football is about,” he added, explaining that his frustration with specialists in football isn’t new. “Me and [former Eagles linebacker] Connor Barwin said this like ten years ago: we need to get specialists out of the NFL. Kickers, long snappers, and punters—they’re ruining the game.”
As Jason outlined his radical idea of eliminating kickers, his brother Travis chimed in to defend the role kickers play. “What, everything’s gotta be a Hail Mary now? It adds excitement to the game,” Travis argued.
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Jason, however, wasn’t convinced, suggesting that instead of traditional field goals, the NFL should adopt a simpler method: “Just throw the ball through the uprights. Why do we have to have this guy come out here and kick it? That doesn’t belong on the football field,” Jason continued. He even floated a more extreme idea: “Just have one big post, and if you hit it, that’s three points.”
His frustration with kickers didn’t stop there. Jason added, “I don’t want these guys going out in soccer shoes and you can’t touch them, and we’re pretending that this is a football play.”
Travis, known for his good-natured banter, pushed back, defending his team’s kicker. “Hey, Harry [Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker] has won me a lot of football games, man,” Travis said with a laugh.
Jason acknowledged that both Butker and his former teammate, Eagles kicker Jake Elliott, are great kickers, but he stuck to his argument. “Yeah, I’m sure you’re pro-kickers ‘cause you’ve got a great kicker. Jake’s a great kicker too, I just disagree with everything about it.”
While Jason’s opinions on kicking are unlikely to gain traction with the NFL, which has had kicking as a fundamental part of the game since its inception, his remarks have sparked conversation about the role of specialists in football.
Kicking field goals, especially long ones, has become more frequent in recent years as kickers have improved in both range and accuracy, making game-deciding kicks a regular occurrence.
Jason’s thoughts on the matter weren’t the only topic discussed in the lively podcast episode. The Kelce brothers also delved into other hot-button issues, including the recent controversy surrounding reporters’ presence in NFL locker rooms.
Though Jason’s desire to “take the foot out of football” may be extreme, his comments reflect an ongoing debate among fans and analysts about whether kickers should have such a significant impact on a sport that’s primarily about physicality, strategy, and skill.
But for now, it seems kickers are here to stay, despite Jason’s objections.
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