The NFL Will Allow Head Coaches to Designate an Assistant to Throw a Challenge Flag
The optional change could curb emotional challenges, and coaches made 151 replay challenges in 2025, the most since 2019.
- On Monday, The NFL confirmed that head coaches may now designate a member of their sideline staff to initiate replay challenges by throwing the red flag.
- Rule 15, Section 1, Article 1 now reads: "The head coach or head coach's pregame challenge designee can initiate a challenge by throwing a red flag onto the field of play before the next legal snap or kick."
- Following 151 coaches' challenges in 2025—the highest total since 2019—ESPN's Kevin Seifert noted that a designated staff member could provide a "firewall for such decisions."
- Teams must inform officials of their designee before the start of the game, though the head coach remains heavily involved in the decision-making process.
- This modification was not part of the rule changes voted on during the league's annual meeting, but was finalized this summer as part of the standard rulebook process before the 2026 season.
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Zac Taylor admits breaking NFL challenge flag rule for 8 years as league makes change – Democratic Accent
A slight change to an NFL rule has been set before the start of the 2026 season, but it’s nothing new for Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. He admitted he’s technically been breaking an NFL rule for the past eight years. The change is that each team’s head coach will be able to delegate the ability to use the red challenge flag to someone else on the staff if they so wish. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM It was the res…
Bengals' Zac Taylor Admits He's Broken NFL Rule For Years
As the new NFL season gets going over the next few weeks, the league has announced a new rule for the year.This week, the NFL revealed that head coaches will have the ability to designate a member of their sideline staff to initiate replay challenges in-game. This will impact all head coaches around the league, […] The post Bengals’ Zac Taylor Admits He’s Broken NFL Rule For Years appeared first on HEAVY.
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