Goodell: NFL will look at alternative kickoff ideas

Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league will look into making changes to kickoffs due to increasing safety concerns.

"We see that there's a higher incident (rate) of injuries on that play," Goodell said Thursday on NFL Network, according to NFL.com's Austin Knoblauch. "So we try to look at this and (say), 'What is it we can do to make it a safer play but also improve the excitement of it?' And there's actually been some creative thinking that we're going to discuss again next week. Several different concepts from special teams coaches, other coaches - we even have one from a well-known college coach - concepts that are alternatives, but really exciting plays."

Related: NFL threatens to 'do away with' kickoffs if the play doesn't become safer

Members of the NFL's competition committee have pushed for rule changes to reduce the danger of injuries on kickoffs.

Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy said concussion rates are five times higher on kickoffs than on any other play in the game, and emphasized that the league would eliminate them if safety concerns aren't addressed.

Neither Murphy nor Goodell elaborated on what new kickoff concepts will be considered.