The NFL is planning to bring in a UFL rule that could change scoring. The proposal would make field goals from 60 yards or longer worth four points instead of three. Though the NFL Competition Committee has not officially proposed the rule yet, the possibilities are there. However, Dallas Cowboys star Brandon Aubrey is not so impressed by the rule.

“I think it’s a little weird,” Aubrey told ESPN. “Kind of incentivizes you to stall the drive in a certain spot. It makes you really, really question your playcalling around that 50-yard line area. It’s interesting for kickers that have the leg to get it there, maybe [there’s] a little bit more value there. But it kind of perverts the incentives of football, where the goal is to get it as close to the other person’s half as possible. So, I’m conflicted on it. I like it for the kickers. I think it’s a nightmare for the playcallers.”

In the UFL’s United Bowl last year, the DC Defenders needed points late in the game, and coach Shannon Harris faced a third-and-long. Instead of calling a play to gain yards, he purposely called a play that lost two yards. He then sent out kicker Matt McCrane at the exact 60-yard distance needed for a four-point field goal attempt. The attempt was successful, and the Defenders won the game 58-34.

UFL’s kickers went 4-for-4 on such field goals during the playoffs, ESPN reported.

History shows that field goals were once worth more points than they are today. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a successful field goal was worth five points when football started taking shape in the country, and later dropped to four points in 1904. In 1909, it was brought down to three.

The move could definitely raise the importance of kickers on the roster. Perhaps with more of these successful field goals, they can also negotiate better contracts.

The NFL has longer-legged kickers now, Rich Eisen noted, and will definitely use this rule to their benefit. Aubrey himself has been able to land six goals from 60 yards and beyond in his career. He is the only kicker in the NFL with this total.

However, until now, head coach Brian Schottenheimer has operated differently.

Cowboys Wire’s Angel Torres found that last year, the head coach went for it on fourth down 35 times, tied for fourth in the league with the Tennessee Titans. In a sit-down on 105.3 The Fan, Schottenheimer joked about Game Management Coordinator Ryan Feder constantly asking him to go for it.

But perhaps with more incentives for field goals, maybe Aubrey is going to see a lot more time on the field.

Adam Vinaetiri likes the 4-point field goal rule

Hall of Fame kicker Adam Vinatieri openly supports the rule. He has played in NFL Europe, where field goals added four points to the tally. And having delivered in some of the most clutch moments in his career, he is optimistic about the upside it brings for kickers.

“I know even when I was playing, anything outside of 50 yards was a big deal,” Vinatieri said. “Now it’s 60 is the new 50. Now it seems like every week, there’s guys that are attempting 58s, 59s, 60-plus, and I’m just like, ‘Wow.’ And not only are they attempting them, but they’re making most of them. So there’s a lot of good kickers out there right now.”

Vinaetieri has made 45 field goals of 50+ yards. However, he is best known for his 45-yard field goal during the 2001 AFC Divisional Round between the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders. It tied the score with less than a minute left in regulation, sending the game into overtime. The Patriots won that game 16-13.

Vinatieri’s claim carries some weight. According to ESPN, 12 field goals of 60 yards or more were recorded last year. Adam Breneman found that if these field goals were worth four points, two of these games would have ended in regulation instead of overtime.

Should the league adopt this change, kickers are literally going to have a field day from then on.