2025 CFL Rule Changes

[Stats Junkie]

https://www.cfl.ca/2025/05/15/cfl-board-of-governors-approve-six-rule-adjustments-for-upcoming-season/
TORONTO — The Canadian Football League (CFL) Board of Governors has approved six rules adjustments for the upcoming season. Three are meant to increase player safety, while serving as deterrents for potentially dangerous or reckless acts on the field.

Two modifications remove what can be punitive restrictions, allowing for a potentially spontaneous recovery play to be deemed legal. The final eliminates restrictions when applying the maximum distance of a penalty.

2025 RATIFIED RULES CHANGES

GRADE TWO ROUGHING THE PASSER PENALTY

The 25-yard Grade Two Roughing the Passer penalty has been modified to be called when:

    A blow is delivered with the crown of the helmet to the head or neck of the passer, despite having a clear view to contact, and there are no mitigating circumstances, i.e. if the level of the quarterback's helmet changes prior to contact.
    A blow is delivered to the knee or below of the passer, despite having a clear view to contact, and there are no mitigating circumstances, i.e. if contact with another player(s) alters what would otherwise be legal contact.
    A blow is egregiously late.

AUTOMATIC EJECTIONS

The list of actions that lead to automatic ejections has been expanded. The Rough Play rule will now include:

    All low block penalties on kicking plays
    Punching actions (open or closed hand) to the head area

LOW HITS ON VULNERABLE RECEIVERS

A penalty has been created to deter low hits on receivers who are not in a position to adequately protect themselves. A 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down will be called when a blow is delivered at or below the knees of a receiver who is in the act of catching a pass, while in a vulnerable position. Should the receiver jump, they will lose low hit protection.

INELIGIBLE RECEIVERS

Once an eligible receiver touches a pass, all players on both teams become eligible to catch the pass.

OFFSIDE PASS

An offside pass is defined as a ball being directed in any manner – other than being kicked – towards the opponent's deadline. The team making the offside pass is not permitted to advance the ball or retain possession beyond the originating point of the pass.

The following plays will no longer be considered offside passes:

    If a defending player prevents the ball from going out of bounds, knocks it down or bats it back into the playing area in an offside direction.
    Batting a loose ball in any direction following a fumble, a blocked kick, a wild snap, a lateral pass or a kicked ball.

REMOVAL OF RESTRICTED MAJOR PENALTIES

    The restriction when applying the maximum distance on all major penalties, misconducts and rough play disqualifications will be removed.
    The total distance of the penalty yardage will be applied, to a maximum of the one-yard line.
    i.e. Play commences at the 20-yard line and the defending team is assessed a 25-yard Grade Two Roughing the Passer penalty. Rather than being penalized half the distance to the goal, whereby the ensuing play will commence from the 10-yard line, the full distance will be applied to a maximum of the one-yard line, where in this instance, the following play will commence.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Pretty serious player protections with teeth. Especially the removal of half the distance.

[dd]

I never understood why they restricted major fouls, who cares if its within 30 yds of your goal line!! Like that rule change!!

I like the grade 2 25 yd UR penalty. I still think anything egregious should carry a disqualification as well ie a major blow to the head of a player. A DQ will cut that crap out immediately

[TBURGESS]

I like all the changes, and I don't say that very often. Good work CFL. 

[GOLDMEMBER]

The game as we know it will be a penalty infested unentertaining sh*t show the way this is going. Time will tell.

[Stats Junkie]

Davis Sanchez re: low hits on vulnerable receivers
Admittedly I hit receivers low the majority of the time in my career..
I still think it is dirty and extremely unsafe. I did it because it was often the best option for a DB my size.
Taking that low hit option away from defenders is a great move for players safety

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Davis Sanchez re: low hits on vulnerable receivers
Admittedly I hit receivers low the majority of the time in my career..
I still think it is dirty and extremely unsafe. I did it because it was often the best option for a DB my size.
Taking that low hit option away from defenders is a great move for players safety

Sanchez is right, this is going to have a huge effect as many lighter DB's prefer to submarine opponents when tackling bigger players. Alex Suber was the master.

[dd]

Sanchez is right, this is going to have a huge effect as many lighter DB's prefer to submarine opponents when tackling bigger players. Alex Suber was the master.

So be it, diving below someone's knee's is a dangerous play and has been banned at the amateur level for decades, it just took the pros a while to get there but this is a good move and will extend guys careers. Guys who can't tackle properly shouldn't be playing the game.

[dd]

The game as we know it will be a penalty infested unentertaining sh*t show the way this is going. Time will tell.

No it won't, it will be a safer version and the dangerous hits will be penalized more heavily, hopefully removing them from the game, but there's always someone out there who will drill a Qb in the head and think its cool (Sask vs Collaros  comes to mind, the guy should have got 25 yds and DQ'd).

The sh*t show, is what's presently going on out there and injuring players/knocking them out of the game. Now, the players guilty of the infraction pay a heavier price, I don't see any downside to this, and wish the 25 yd penalty carried a DQ with it.

[Jesse]

I like all the changes, and I don't say that very often. Good work CFL.

My exact response.

I don't think I understand the offside pass though. Can anyone offer some clarity?

[dd]

The way I read it, is if the defending team is attempting to keep a loose/fumbled ball in bounds, he is allowed now to knock it towards the opponents goal line without penalty. I know amateur rule says the ball is dead at point the ball is batted forwards as that's an offside pass, now CFL is saying they can advance a fumbled ball by knocking it forward.

[markf]

I never understood why they restricted major fouls, who cares if its within 30 yds of your goal line!! Like that rule change!!

I like the grade 2 25 yd UR penalty. I still think anything egregious should carry a disqualification as well ie a major blow to the head of a player. A DQ will cut that crap out immediately

This is what I really hope for.

Throw a punch at someone's head... your out.

Smash your helmet into someone's head should be the same penalty.

[pdirks67]

The game as we know it will be a penalty infested unentertaining sh*t show the way this is going. Time will tell.

I don't think this will happen. Players learn pretty quick, or they are on the bench.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

The way I read it, is if the defending team is attempting to keep a loose/fumbled ball in bounds, he is allowed now to knock it towards the opponents goal line without penalty. I know amateur rule says the ball is dead at point the ball is batted forwards as that's an offside pass, now CFL is saying they can advance a fumbled ball by knocking it forward.

What about "accidentally" hoofing the ball towards the opponent's endzone while attempting to pick up a fumble?  The more chaos allowed, the better!

[TecnoGenius]

What about "accidentally" hoofing the ball towards the opponent's endzone while attempting to pick up a fumble?  The more chaos allowed, the better!

That was legal before: "dribble kick" (or whatever it's called).  I faintly recall Willie doing that many years ago for us and we got to keep the extra yardage.

The way I read it, is if the defending team is attempting to keep a loose/fumbled ball in bounds, he is allowed now to knock it towards the opponents goal line without penalty.

I think what they did here is equalize the bat-forward kick to the punch.  Before it was kind of weird you could move the ball forward with any part of your body except your hands.  Remember Meddy kneeing the ball forward in the EZ on his own punt?

So it looks like no matter how a ball is moved forward in a loose-ball situation it will be legal.  This probably helps the refs/command more than anything.  No one needs to spend 5 mins figuring out if it was a knee or foot or hand hitting it.

This rule will only affect like a couple/few games a season.  These situations are rare.