The NFL’s growing 60‑yard field‑goal problem, traced to Tom Dempsey’s improbable kick

Tom Dempsey’s 63‑yard field goal in 1970 remains one of the sport’s most improbable moments, a kick that helped frame a contemporary debate: should the NFL do anything about the increasing frequency and strategic impact of 60‑yard-plus field‑goal attempts?

With two seconds remaining at New Orleans’ Tulane Stadium on Nov. 8, 1970, Dempsey — who was born without toes on his right foot and without fingers on his right hand — lined up for a 63‑yard try that few expected to see. The Saints were trailing the Detroit Lions 17‑16. In an era when goal posts sat on the goal line, Dempsey’s holder placed the ball at the Saints’ 37‑yard line; Dempsey later recalled that he knew he could kick the distance, but wondered if he "could keep it straight." The kick went through, etching a moment that long outlived the stadium that witnessed it.

The game has changed since Dempsey’s kick. In 1974 the NFL moved the goal posts from the goal line to the back of the end zone, increasing the effective distance of kicks by 10 yards under the modern measurement used today. For decades, Dempsey’s 63‑yard mark stood as the standard of long‑range kicking. Over time it was tied and, ultimately, eclipsed: Matt Prater set a 64‑yard record in 2013 and Justin Tucker established the current official high‑water mark with a 66‑yard field goal in 2021.

Those longer kicks are no longer solely the product of freak occasions. Advances in training, the adoption of the soccer‑style kick, improved equipment and turf, indoor stadiums, and the strategic embrace of analytics have all expanded what teams and coaches consider viable late‑game options. For coaches weighing a fourth‑quarter decision, the possibility of converting a 60‑plus‑yard attempt factors into an expected‑value calculus that increasingly competes with punting or attempting to convert on fourth down.

Those developments have produced consequences that reach beyond record books. Long attempts can dramatically alter playcalling in the final minutes, affect clock management and influence how teams structure drives into opposing territory. The strategic ripple extends to roster construction as well: teams now invest more in specialists who can consistently reach range once considered extraordinary.

The debate about how — or whether — to adjust the rules centers on several sets of proposals advanced by coaches, former players and analysts. One idea is to change the geometry of the field by moving the goal posts farther back, a modification that would increase the distance of every field‑goal attempt and make ultra‑long tries rarer. Another is to alter the scoring incentive: proposals have included changing the point value of very long field goals so that a successful attempt beyond a certain yard line would be worth fewer points than a standard kick, thus discouraging speculative attempts. Some analysts have suggested tweaks to kickoff and clock rules to reduce situations that produce desperation, end‑of‑half attempts, or mismatches that favor attempts from beyond 60 yards.

Proponents of intervening say the league should consider the fan experience and competitive balance. Critics of change view long kicks as an organic evolution of the sport and point to the skill and training of modern specialists as justification for the status quo. Any rule alteration also carries tradeoffs: moving the goal posts would retroactively make historic comparisons more complicated, and changing scoring incentives would introduce a new layer of complexity to in‑game arithmetic.

The NFL has historically adjusted rules to shape play: it moved the goal posts in 1974 to reduce the number of field goals and open the running and passing game; it also moved the extra‑point attempt back in 2015 to restore competitive meaning to the PAT. League decision‑making has tended to weigh on‑field effects, player safety, and how a rule change would alter strategic incentives across all 32 teams.

Asked in recent seasons about ultra‑long attempts, league officials and coaches have offered guarded comments indicating the issue is on the perimeter of rule discussions rather than at the top of a public agenda. Any formal change would require study, discussion with coaches and owners, and a vote. For now, teams continue to weigh analytics and kicker capability when facing long fourth‑down situations and end‑of‑half scenarios.

The Dempsey kick offers a reminder of how single moments can shape debate for generations. At the time, the 63‑yard field goal from a holder placing the ball at the Saints’ 37 was as startling as it was decisive; it became a reference point as equipment, technique and strategy evolved. Today’s conversation about 60‑yard kicks asks whether similar landmark plays should be preserved as part of an expanding game of skill or moderated to preserve certain strategic balances the league values.

Nothing has changed yet. The league’s history shows it will act when it judges a rule alteration would improve the game broadly. Until then, coaches will continue to calculate the odds, kickers will continue to push distance, and fans will watch to see whether the next milestone arrives as a celebrated feat or as an impetus for change.