NFL making big change to challenge system for 2026 season

The power to run it back no longer resides with just an NFL coach.The league will allow the head coach to designate a member of their staff on the sideline to initiate replay challenges, ESPN reported Monday.In the past, head coaches have been the only member of a team that has the power to decided whether to challenge by throwing the red flag.However, if a coach prefers to designate someone for that assignment in 2026, he may do so and it’s a decision that has to be made before the start of the game and informed to officials.

In 2025, there were 151 coaches’ challenges, which marked the highest total since 2019.Head coaches are still likely to be heavily involved in the decision to challenge, yet a designated staff member for the job could aid in some highly emotional situations on the sideline.This change was not initially made during the NFL’s annual meeting where rules tweaks are usually voted on.

Yet each summer the NFL makes changes to its rulebook that don’t require the votes and approval from ownership, and this decision was among them.Out of the rulebook, rule 15, Section 1, Article 1(a) 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.”The 2026 season’s first game that could see the new ruling in action will be on Wednesday, Sept.9 where the defending champion Seahawks will host the Patriots at Lumen Field in a Super Bowl rematch....