4 points for a 60-yard field goal? Cowboys K Brandon Aubrey 'conflicted' on importing the UFL's idea
· Yahoo Sports
The NFL has already imported one idea from a spring league with the revamped kickoff rules cribbed from what was then the XFL. So it might be worth paying attention when the UFL, the XFL's successor, adds a four-point field goal.
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This year's UFL season saw 60-yard field goals rewarded with one more point, leading to an increase in long-distance attempts. While there is reportedly no proposal to adopt the rule, ESPN's Michael DiRocco did poll some figures from around the league about the idea.
One reaction stood out, that of the man who might benefit the most from the idea. Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey doesn't seem to be a fan:
"I think it's a little weird," he said. "Kind of incentivizes you to stall the drive in a certain spot. It makes you really, really question your play-calling around that 50-yard line area. It's interesting for kickers that have the leg to get it there, maybe [there's] a little bit more value there. But kind of perverses the incentives of football where the goal is to get it as close to the other person's half as possible.
"So, I'm conflicted on it. I like it for the kickers. I think it's a nightmare for the playcallers."
/Aubrey is the NFL's all-time leader in 60-yard field goals with six, half of which were made last season. That was part of a marked increase in such kicks, as the 12 60-yarders made (by nine different kickers) nearly equaled the 13 made in the previous three seasons.
The collective improvement of the league's kickers was a major storyline in 2025, no more so than when Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little broke an NFL record with a 68-yarder.
Like Aubrey, Little didn't seem enthusiastic about the idea with ESPN:
"It adds an element to the game that if you have a bigger leg, it helps you," he said. "But I don't know. There's been so many rule changes between the kickoff. I just think if we could keep some tradition to the game, I think that's what makes the NFL really cool because we've kept a lot of the rules."
On the other side, Washington Commanders kicker Jake Moody and Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates both expressed interest in the idea, as did Little's head coach Liam Coen.
It should be noted the NFL had tangible reasons for tweaking its kickoff rules to resemble the XFL. The new system carries the duel benefit of increasing the rate of kickoff returns while decreasing the heavy impacts seen when kick and return teams would collide.
Four points for a 60-yard field goals would obviously incentivize teams to settle for field goals at midfield, which might not be so compelling for the league. As fun as legs like Aubrey's and Little's might be, kickers are rarely marquee players in the NFL.