NFL quietly changes rule without owners' approval after angry sideline outbursts
NFL quietly changes rule without owners' approval after angry sideline outbursts
Rory RobinsonMon, August 10, 2026 at 10:55 PM UTC
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The NFL will allow head coaches to delegate challenge flag-throwing duties -Credit:Getty
The NFL finalized a rule change on Monday that allows a head coach to designate another member of their coaching staff to throw the challenge flag on game day.
The NFL rule change was made without a formal vote from team owners because the league treated it as an administrative modification to Rule 15, Section 1, Article 1(a), rather than a core gameplay change.
Only a team's head coach can select the football staff personnel responsible for the task and must identify them to NFL officials before kickoff. The change comes after 151 coach challenges were made last season for the highest total since 2019.
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Raiders have addressed the training camp scuffle involving Kirk Cousins and Maxx Crosby.
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The new rule does not remove the head coach from the decision itself, but it does give teams the option to assign the physical responsibility to someone else.
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New Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll could have benefited from the rule change last season as head coach of the New York Giants if he had delegated the task to his trusted former offensive coordinator, Mike Kafka.
Daboll may not have made headlines after angrily throwing a flag after a Philadelphia Eagles tush-push play that was already ruled dead on forward progress. The non-reviewable challenge still cost the Giants a timeout.
The rule change was made without an NFL owner vote -Credit:Getty
The former Giants coach had another challenge-flag issue against the Dallas Cowboys in 2023 when he threw a flag too soon after a Brandin Cooks reception and then tried to take it back.
The Giants were forced to burn another timeout, and NFL fans and media began to criticize Daboll for his flag misfires despite a statistically successful overall record.
Giants QB coach Brian Callahan had a 3-for-4 challenge record last season with a 75 percent success rate, while Daboll finished just behind with a 10-for-14 record at 71.4 percent.
Mike Tomlin had a top-five challenge record last season -Credit:Getty
Callahan declined to challenge a disputed catch in 2025 after incorrectly explaining that an elbow in bounds did not satisfy the catch rule. He later admitted that he should have thrown the fan and identified his decision as a costly mistake.
New Titans head coach Robert Saleh served as defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers last season and hasn't held the head coaching title since his stint with the New York Jets from 2021-2024. Saleh will be tasked with choosing himself over someone with a high success rate.
Opposing NFL coaches can breathe a sigh of relief now that the top-five challenger called Mike Tomlin has officially traded his red flag for an NBC microphone. Tomlin threw the red flag at a 42.7 percent clip ahead of Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid.
Source: “AOL Sports”
