NFL owners approve moving extra point back to 15-yard line

The extra point won’t be so automatic anymore.

NFL owners voted Tuesday to approve the competition committee’s proposal to move the extra point back to the 15-yard line for the 2015 season, creating a 33-yard attempt – 13 yards farther than the long-used 20-yard attempt.

Approval for the idea was nearly unanimous. NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said that only the only teams to vote against the proposal were the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins.

The 20-yard extra point was converted at close to a 99 percent clip, Blandino said, so thought behind the alteration is to make the play “more challenging.”

“The overall goal is to make the play more challenging and to make it a more skilled play than what it was,” Blandino said.

As pointed out by ESPN’s Field Yates, kicks in the 30-35 yard range were converted at nearly as high a rate.

The change in line of scrimmage could potentially prompt teams to attempt more 2-point conversions, especially in poor weather conditions.

In addition to the change made to the extra point, the owners voted to keep the line of scrimmage for 2-point conversions at the 2-yard line. The Philadelphia Eagles proposed moving the 2-point try a yard closer to the goal line, but that idea was shot down. However, as suggested by the competition committee, defenses are now allowed to return a turnover on a 2-point try to the other end zone for two points.

A three-fourths majority vote is required for any rule change to pass, meaning votes from at least 24 of the 32 league owners.