Almost immediately following the announcement of the kickoff rule change in the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to terms with the most successful kick returner in league history, bringing in Cordarrelle Patterson on a two-year, $6 million contract. The hope is that he can tap into his career success in that role under the new set of rules that will make the play as important as ever for the 2024 season.
The NFL is testing the new rule on a trial basis for this season, so they have built themselves an easy out if the rule change is deemed unsuccessful in some way.