NFL goalposts aren’t where they used to be: Here's why

(NEXSTAR) — Regardless of whether you’re an avid NFL watcher or this is your rookie viewing season, there’s a piece of the field you’re probably pretty comfortable with: the goalposts.

They’re bright yellow and found on both ends of the field. Kicking the ball through the goalposts will result in either an extra point or three, and missing the 18-foot-6-inch opening will cause gasps or cheers, depending on which team you’re cheering for.

But, like many things in the NFL, the goalposts have evolved over time.

Initially, the placement and design of NFL goalposts in the late 1890s was inspired by rugby, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They appeared as an H-shape, and were located on the goal line. In the slideshow below, you can see a modern rugby field and a shot of a football field (albeit, a collegiate field) in 1912 on the right. You can see in both that goalposts are located on the line before the end zone (or try zone, in rugby).

Belfast , United Kingdom - 25 October 2023; An aerial view of the newly installed 3G pitch at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Historical College Football games: Georgetown University vs. Carlisle ca. 1912. (Photo by: HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

In the late 1920s, the NFL pushed its goalposts to the end line, the back line of the end zone, like we see today. This was in accordance with NCAA rules, which the NFL was following at the time, the Pro Football Hall of Fame explains.

That led to fewer field goals and more tied games, though, according to the league. When the NFL wrote its own rules in 1933, it decided to move the posts forward again to the goal line. That, of course, caused more field goals and fewer tie games.

You can see those moved-up field goals in the slideshow below: first, a photo from the 1956 championship game between the New York Giants and Chicago Bears at Yankee Stadium, and second, a 1958 matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams.

UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 10: 1958-San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. 49ers try to drive it end to the end zone. (Photo by Al Paloczy/The Enthusiast Network via Getty Images/Getty Images)
(Original Caption) Football official Sam Wilson (striped shirt) had a rough time of it in the early minutes of the New York Giants Chicago Bears Championship game at Yankee Stadium here December 30th, Wilson, the umpire at the game, couldn't get out of the way fast enough when New York's Mel Triplett broke up the middle to score the first Giant Touchdown. In top photo Wilson crashes to earth after being belted by Triplett (white jersey). Bear defenders Ray Smith (20) and J.C. Caroline (25) surround both Triplett and the hapless umpire as New York's Jack Stroud sprawls at left. In bottom photo, Wilson is completely buried under the pileup as Triplett crosses the goal line. Back Judge George Rennix (right) signals the score, as Ray Smith bounces back after slamming into the goal post in a vain try fro Triplett. The Giants smothered the Bears, 47-7. (See also NXP 123003 & NXP 12

NFL goalposts would stand tall on the goal line for over three decades, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Then, in 1966, the rule changed again.

This time, the goalposts had to be offset from the goal line. Though you can’t tell in the pictures from Super Bowl I below, the rules also mandated the posts be bright gold.

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 15, 1967: Members of the Green Bay Packers warm up in the end zone prior to Super Bowl I on January 15, 1967 against the Kansas City Chiefs at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The Packers beat the Chiefs, 35-10 to win the professional football World Championship. 19670115-FR-003 1967 Kidwiler Collection/Diamond Images
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 15, 1967: Wide receiver Max McGee #85 of the Green Bay Packers tosses the ball to the official after catching a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bart Starr in the third quarter of Super Bowl I on January 15, 1967 against the Kansas City Chiefs at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The Packers beat the Chiefs, 35-10 to win the professional football World Championship. 19670115-FR-179 1967 Kidwiler Collection/Diamond Images

At first, the goalposts were still the H-shape they started as at the turn of the century. But ahead of the 1967 season, the NFL required the goalposts to have a “sling-shot” shape, looking more like the posts we see today.

You can see some examples of those offset, “sling-shot” goalposts in the slideshow below.

Miami Dolphins safety Jake Scott intercepts a fourth quarter pass in his end zone and returns it 55 yards against the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII on January 14, 1973. Miami defeated Washington 14-7 to complete an undefeated 17-0 season and Scott was the game's MVP. (Photo by Nate Fine/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C. - DECEMBER 24: Wide receiver Roy Jefferson #80 of the Washington Redskins lies in the endzone after catching a scoring pass against the Green Bay Packers at RFK Stadium in the 1972 NFC Divisional Playoff Game on December 24, 1972 in Washington, D.C. The Redskins defeated the Packers 16-3. (Photo by Nate Fine/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - DECEMBER 26, 1971: Cleveland Browns fullback Bo Scott (#35) runs a pass pattern in the end zone during a divisional playoff game against the Baltimore Colts at Cleveland Municipal Stadium on December 26, 1971 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Colts defeated the Browns 20-3. (Photo by James Drake/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 17, 1971: Punter Ron Widby #10 of the Dallas Cowboys punts out of his own endzone during Super Bowl V against the Baltimore Colts on January 17, 1971 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. The Colts beat the Cowboys, 16-13 to win the professional football World Championship.19710117-FR-1971 Kidwiler Collection/Diamond Images

Players and announcers at the time noted that the goalposts on or close to the goal line could be used “as an extra blocker” on running and crossing patterns in the endzone, Sports Illustrated reports.

It wasn’t until 1974 that the goalposts would go to the end line in an effort to force offenses to play for touchdowns instead of field goals. At the time of the move, the Hall of Fame reports field goals had been increasingly sought after. In the season before the posts moved backward, more than 860 field goals were attempted. That dropped to 553 in the next season.

Moving the posts also opened up the end zone for more pass plays, Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown told SI.

The goalposts have remained on the end line ever since. The current NFL rulebook mandates that the goalposts have a crossbar 10 feet above the ground that stretches 18 feet and 6 inches across. The uprights, or bars on either side, extend 35 feet vertically and have to be between three and four inches in diameter. The goalposts must also be padded “in a manner prescribed by the League.”

It doesn’t appear the current goal post locations are deterring field goal attempts though. NFL statistics show more than 1,000 field goals were attempted this season. More than 900 were successful.

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