The NFL will not be getting rid of automatic first downs on defensive holding and illegal contact penalties for the 2025 season.

One rule proposal that the Detroit Lions made this year at the NFL owners meetings was denied by vote on Tuesday and will not pass. Detroit offered a rule change to stop automatic first downs from being awarded on defensive holding and illegal contact penalties, but it did not get the votes necessary to pass.

Prior to the vote, Lions coach Dan Campbell made his argument for the rule change.

“Really, I felt like where those are most glaring for us—we had a number of these second-and-16, second-and-20, second-and-10, second-and-10, second-and-9, third-and-8—those, specifically,” Campbell said. “Forget the first downs. Our rule for first downs, it’s irrelevant. It’d be first-and-5 now instead of 5 yards (and a first down)—that’s actually better offensively, by the way.

“But it’s more when you’re in those (situations) that i just mentioned, the second-and-long, third (down), and the contact happens 6 yards down the field, it’s on a scramble—which four of those were—you’re like, ‘Ugh. Man, that seems unfair. Right?’ Why not just a 5-yard penalty, and let’s replay the down?

“So that was really, for me, I know that’s where it came up. And it’s really that little bit of the area, those longer yardage situations where—and I’m not talking about the blatant, man, this is a clear hold. He’s 10 yards downfield, but we had a number of these that really were like that. Contact happens plays 6 yards down the field and it’s second-and-12. It just, man, that doesn’t seem right.”

Bills general manager Brandon Beane was one of the people at the owners meetings publicly against the Lions’ rule change:

Brandon Beane said he's not in favor of eliminating an automatic first down for defensive holding or illegal contact. Said there are unintended consequences, including coaches instructing defenders to hold in 3rd and long situations.

— Sal Capaccio 🏈 (@SalSports) March 30, 2025

“The problem is you get a team in third-and-12, third-and-15, you’re gonna tell your guys to grab a little more, hold a little more, because the worst case is it’s only going to be third-and-7,” Beane said. “I think there could be some unintended consequences of the rule. Sometimes it stinks to give up a first down on a ticky-tack call—and that’s probably where that’s coming from—but I think there’s some unintended consequences I would be concerned about.”

The Lions also proposed two other rule changes: to change the seeding in the NFL Playoffs to be determined by overall record, rather than giving home-field priority to division winners, and to allow players who are placed on injured reserve prior to the regular season to not count against the regular season 90-man roster limit. At the time of this publishing, it is not clear if those proposals have been approved or denied, but Campbell said there was some optimism about the playoff seeding change.

“That’s been an ongoing discussion, that’ll be interesting to see how that goes in here. It’s got some legs,” Campbell said Tuesday morning.

UPDATE: The playoff seeding proposal has officially been tabled for later discussions, per several reports.