Another change in the NFL’s kickoff rules meant another offseason of adjustment for Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson.

Last year, the NFL adopted what it calls the Dynamic Kickoff Rule, with the intent of producing more kickoff returns while reducing high-impact injuries. The changes are credited with increasing the number of kickoff returns in the NFL from 587 in 2023 to 920 in 2024. But the NFL had 1,081 kickoff returns in 2015 and 2,137 in 2005.

For 2025, the NFL has tweaked the Dynamic Kickoff Rule. This season, touchbacks will put the football at the receiving team’s 35-yard line instead of the 30. Carlson thinks that makes touchbacks much less attractive and will put an emphasis on kickers manipulating the football into the landing zone between the goal line and the receiving team’s 20.

“Obviously, we’re going to see a lot less touchbacks,” Carlson said. “So, I mean, we did experiment a lot last year. It was a learning period, so I think now it’s just continuing that and playing a lot more ball, which is exciting for special-teams guys, exciting for me. I think it’s going to be a great play, and so, hopefully, we’ll see a lot of exciting returns on our side when we do get a chance to return, and then a lot of good kicks and coverage on our side as well.”

In 2024, Carlson’s 80 kickoffs produced 51 touchbacks – a 63.8 percent rate that fell just short of the league average of 64.3 percent.

“Kicking far and high on kickoffs and hang time mattered so much,” Carlson said, “and now it’s kind of the opposite where it’s just placement and precision is a little more important. …

“There’s almost, like, some soccer skills that are popping up again where it’s a little more feel just because it’s a very different kick than a field goal. You don’t want to necessarily just kick it straight to the returner or anything like that, so there’s just a little bit of, I don’t know, reliance on the feel of kind of my old days of soccer. And you’ve seen guys do it last year where, you know, different teams did different things, so we’ll see what happens this year where some teams may just kick and cover and some teams might even hit touchback still. We’ll have to find out.”

Depending on the kickoff required, Carlson’s leg stroke could differ from the one used on field-goal attempts and extra points, which raises the specter of losing form on the scoring kicks.

“You’re used to just kind of having one ball where you kick it high, far, straight is the goal,” Carlson said. “It doesn’t really matter how quickly it gets there. You’re trying to make it hard for the returner to catch, so it’s a fun, different part of the game where, like I said, I’m a little more reliant on, like, a soccer-style kick almost.

“But obviously field goal is, you know, for me, that’s still the priority because at the end of the day that’s what can make or break games a lot of times. But at the same time, like, I want to be one of the best in the league at that kickoff part. I want to be effective because, yeah, it’s not fun if we just start kicking touchbacks or something like that. I don’t think that brings any value to my team. And so it’s my job to dominate that as well.”

Since the 2018 season, when Carlson joined the Raiders seven games into the campaign, the former Auburn kicker ranks fourth in points with 828 and second in field goals with 202 in the NFL.

Carlson is entering the final season of a four-year, $18.4 million contract.

“Going on Year 8 as a Raider now,” Carlson said, “and so that’s essentially been my whole career and just honored to be a part of this historic organization and excited where we’re headed this year and the direction we’re going as a program, I feel like.”

Carlson already has been paid this year, however. The kicker yielded the jersey No. 2 to first-round rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, with Carlson returning to his original number with the Raiders.

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“I still wore eight when I was back in Oakland,” Carlson said, “so I was glad the old jersey still fits. You know, it’s a little tight around the belly. But, no, the old jersey still fits, and it works well, so I’m excited for that.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.