The catch rule is once again an issue in the NFL. It could, if not should, be a topic of discussion in the upcoming offseason regarding potential rule adjustments.
At least one head coach plans to advocate for a closer look at various controversial catch rulings from the 2025 season with the goal of raising questions and clarifying what is and is not a catch.
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We believe that there are currently three problems with catch rules.
First, the league focuses too much on the third step to complete the catching process. Although the rulebook clearly lists other ways to perform “common acts of the game” after gaining possession and having both feet down (extending the ball forward, taking an extra step, avoiding or deflecting an opponent, or having possession of the ball long enough to do any of these things), the league has inexplicably resorted to a third act Everything is to take the third step.
Second, the league has instituted two different standards for defending controversial calls in key games. An interception in the Steelers-Ravens game on Dec. 7 was reversed as a catch by Aaron Rodgers on the grounds that (as articulated by NFL vice president of instant replay Mark Butterworth) it was inconsistent with the failure to conduct a full replay review (which may have involved Butterworth) of a crucial overtime interception in the Bills-Broncos playoff game.
Butterworth said in a pool report on Rodgers’ catch: “The offensive player had control of the ball, and when he was going to go down, there was a hand there, but he never lost control of the ball, and then his knee controlled the ground. So, according to the rules, He fell to the ground after contact with the ball“.
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This is a real issue that needs to be addressed, even if it means the league has no choice but to admit that one of these two rulings is wrong – if a player goes down with possession of the ball, does the requirement to maintain possession upon landing not apply? According to Butterworth criteria, this is not the case. Judging from the results of the Bills-Broncos game, that’s certainly the case.
Third, this point is broader than catch rules: how does replay work? Who makes the decision? What are the criteria for activating full review instead of “Orwellian“Participate in quick replay assistance?
The threshold question is whether the coalition cares enough to spend the necessary time and effort to raise and address these issues. it should. The integrity of the game lies on the edges, and the most critical lines the NFL must clearly draw involve when, where and how the ball is or isn’t caught.
