The NFL’s annual league meetings take place March 30 through April 2, with proposed rule changes from teams to be discussed by the Competition Committee as a part of the proceedings.
Rule change suggestions from teams have been part and parcel of these meetings, and 2025 is no different.
The Packers' proposal to ban elements of the “tush push” wasn't really a surprise because the play has been a hot topic the past two years.
Conversely, the Detroit Lions' dramatic rule change proposal was out of left field and generated a lot of buzz around the league.
The proposed change is to “eliminate an automatic first down as a penalty imposed for defensive holding and illegal contact.”
There had been zero discussion around changing defensive holding and illegal contact penalties, so Detroit’s idea caught everyone by surprise.
The Lions' reasoning for the proposal?
To provide “competitive equity.”
“Current penalty enforcement is too punitive for the defense.”
That statement feels disingenuous given the rule changes immediately benefit the Lions' own defense more than anyone else in the NFL.
Was the rule change proposal by the Lions self-serving?
Let's run through the numbers over the past three seasons to put in perspective the benefit to the Lions and the potential impact on the NFL landscape.
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Defensive Holding & Illegal Contact Penalties, Last Three Seasons
In the 2024 NFL season, approximately 25% of defensive holding and illegal contact penalties were committed on downs of five yards or fewer.
The Lions' proposal would have eliminated 178 automatic first downs awarded via these penalties last season.