NFL Rule Update Allows Designated Staff Member To Throw Challenge Flags

Head coaches will no longer have to juggle a red flag with their game-day wardrobe. 

The NFL is updating its rulebook for the 2026 season to allow head coaches to delegate replay challenge duties to a designated sideline staff member, ESPN reported Monday. 

The updated Rule 15, Section 1, Article 1(a) now reads, "The head coach or head coach's pregame challenge designee can initiate a challenge by throwing a red flag onto the field of play before the next legal snap or kick."

The league finalized the procedural modification during its routine summer rulebook adjustments, a process that does not require an ownership vote.

The adjustment comes after a 2025 season that reportedly featured 151 coach challenges, the highest single-season total since 2019. 

Allowing a staff designee to throw the flag would help advise against emotional decision-making. Head coaches are expected to remain heavily involved in challenge decisions, whether it's communicating with the staff through a headset or telling them directly.

Under standard NFL rules, each team receives two challenges per game, with the opportunity to earn a third. To be awarded that additional challenge, a team must have at least one of its initial two challenges successfully overturned upon review.

If a coach’s challenge is unsuccessful, the team loses a timeout, meaning teams cannot challenge plays if they have no timeouts remaining. If the first two challenges are unsuccessful, the team will be ineligible to receive a third challenge for the game.