What Is a Free Kick in American Football? Rules

Why the Term Confuses People

In soccer, a free kick is awarded after a foul. In American football, the term means something different: it is any kick that is not made during normal offensive play (a scrimmage kick like a punt or field goal). The word “free” refers to the fact that the kicking team is free to approach the ball before the receiving team can cross a restraining line. The rules for free kicks are found in the official NFL Rule Book, under Rule 6, and in the NCAA rulebook for college football.

Many fans hear “free kick” and think of a penalty or a restart after a stoppage. In American football, free kicks happen only at specific moments: to start a half, to restart after a score, or after a fair catch. They are not awarded for fouls.

Two Types of Free Kicks

There are exactly two kinds of free kicks in American football, and they serve different purposes.

Kickoff: This is the most common free kick. It occurs at the start of each half and after every touchdown or field goal. The ball is placed on the kicking team’s own 35-yard line in the NFL (or the 40-yard line in college). The kicking team lines up behind the ball, and the receiving team must stay behind a line 10 yards away. The kicker can use a tee or a holder.
Fair-catch kick: This is a rare and unusual play. After a player on the receiving team makes a fair catch (signals with a wave before catching a punt or kickoff), that team has the option to attempt a free kick from the spot of the catch. If the kick goes through the uprights, it scores 3 points, just like a field goal. This is sometimes called a “free kick field goal.” It is extremely rare because the spot is usually far from the goalposts, but it is a legal and distinct play.

How a Free Kick Works

The mechanics of a free kick are simple, but the details matter for players and officials.

Ball placement: The ball is placed on the kicking team’s own restraining line (35-yard line in the NFL for kickoffs). For a fair-catch kick, the ball is placed at the spot of the fair catch.
Kicking team alignment: All kicking team players must be behind the ball at the moment of the kick. They cannot cross the line until the ball is kicked.
Receiving team alignment: The receiving team must stay at least 10 yards away from the ball (for a kickoff). For a fair-catch kick, the receiving team is the defense and has no special alignment rule—they just try to block the kick.
The kick: The kicker kicks the ball from the ground (using a tee for kickoffs, or a holder for a fair-catch kick). The ball must travel at least 10 yards (for a kickoff) or be touched by the receiving team before the kicking team can recover it.
Return or touchback: The receiving team can catch the ball and run it back, or let it go into the end zone for a touchback (which places the ball at the 25-yard line in the NFL). If the kick goes out of bounds, the receiving team gets the ball at the spot where it went out or 25 yards from the kick spot, depending on the situation.

Key Rules and Restrictions

Free kicks have specific rules that differ from normal plays.

On a kickoff, the ball must travel at least 10 yards before the kicking team can touch it, unless the receiving team touches it first.
If a kickoff goes out of bounds, the receiving team can choose to take the ball at the out-of-bounds spot or re-kick after a penalty (5 yards in the NFL).
On a fair-catch kick, the kicking team cannot use a tee; the ball must be held by a placekicker’s holder. The kick must be a placekick, not a dropkick (though a dropkick is technically legal in the NFL, it is never used).
The receiving team cannot block the kicking team before the ball is kicked. This is a “free” kick because the kicking team has a running start before the receiving team can engage.
If the ball is kicked into the end zone and not returned, it is a touchback, and the receiving team starts at the 25-yard line (NFL) or 20-yard line (college).

Common Misconceptions

One common mistake is thinking a free kick is awarded after a safety. That is true: after a safety, the team that was scored upon must kick the ball to the other team. That kick is a free kick, specifically a safety kick, which can be a punt, dropkick, or placekick. It is not a kickoff, but it is a free kick.

Another misconception is that a fair-catch kick is a field goal attempt. It is a field goal attempt in terms of scoring (3 points), but it is a free kick, not a scrimmage kick. The defense cannot rush the kicker until the ball is kicked, which gives the kicking team a significant advantage. This play is so rare that many fans never see it in a game, but it is legal in both NFL and college rules.

People also confuse “free kick” with “free play.” A free play happens when the defense commits a penalty before the snap, allowing the offense to run a play without risk. That has nothing to do with kicking.

Strategy and When It Is Used

Kickoffs are the most strategic free kick. Teams often choose to kick short or high to force a return, or they aim for the end zone to get a touchback. Onside kicks are a special type of free kick where the kicking team tries to recover the ball after it travels 10 yards. Onside kicks are legal on any kickoff, but they are risky because the receiving team usually has a better chance to recover.

The fair-catch kick is almost never used because the spot of the fair catch is usually too far from the goalposts. It becomes a realistic option only if a team makes a fair catch very close to the opponent’s goal line, typically inside the 40-yard line. Coaches might choose this over a Hail Mary pass because it is a higher-percentage scoring attempt, but the distance and the need for a skilled kicker make it a last-second tactic.

In college football, the rules are similar, but the kickoff line is the 40-yard line (since a rule change, but the exact year is not needed here). The touchback spot is the 25-yard line in the NFL, but in college it is the 25-yard line as well (since a recent change, but again, the year is not important). Always check the current rulebook for the exact yardage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a free kick score a touchdown?

No. A free kick cannot score a touchdown. The only ways to score on a free kick are a field goal (3 points) on a fair-catch kick, or a safety (2 points) if the receiving team fumbles the ball and the kicking team recovers it in the end zone. A kickoff that goes into the end zone is a touchback, not a touchdown.

Is a punt a free kick?

No. A punt is a scrimmage kick, meaning it happens during normal offensive play, with the defense allowed to rush the punter. A free kick happens with no defensive rush until the ball is kicked. The difference is the alignment and the absence of a defensive line.

What happens if a kickoff goes out of bounds?

The receiving team gets the ball at the spot where it went out of bounds, or they can accept a 5-yard penalty and make the kicking team re-kick. In the NFL, if the kick goes out of bounds and the receiving team accepts the penalty, the kicking team must kick again from 5 yards farther back.

Can a fair-catch kick be attempted from anywhere on the field?

Yes, as long as the fair catch is made. The spot of the fair catch becomes the spot of the kick. In practice, it is only attempted when the spot is within the kicker’s range, which is usually inside the 40-yard line of the opponent.

Is an onside kick a free kick?

Yes. An onside kick is a type of kickoff, which is a free kick. The kicking team tries to recover the ball after it travels 10 yards. The same free kick rules apply, but the strategy is different.

Sources: NFL Rulebook. Menus and buttons can differ slightly by version. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.