Peyton Manning Pitches Five NFL Rule Changes Inspired by the NBA

In this story:
Peyton Manning came prepared with a laundry list of suggestions for the NFL during the ManningCast as the Lions took on the Ravens in this week's edition of Monday Night Football.
The toungue-in-cheek proposals were inspired by a recent rule change in the NBA where individual players will no longer receive a missed shot in the box score for a half-court heave as time expires. Well, Manning thinks the same should apply for quarterbacks on Hail Marys that are intercepted as time expires.
"Hail Mary throws at the end of the first half should be a team interception," he said in jest on ESPN Monday.
His brother Eli asked what would happen if a Hail Mary pass is completed and whether that would count as the quarterback's touchdown pass. "Yeah, absolutely, that's a stupid question. Of course it does," Peyton replied.
Luckily for Eli, Peyton had prepared even more rule change suggestions in a similar vein. He's done with batted balls and thinks defenders should instantly hand some cash to a quarterback for a late hit for some punishment by public embarrassment.
Here's the full list of Peyton's hilarious proposals:
- Intercepted Hail Mary's shouldn't count against QBs
- False start/offsides equity within the 10-yard line
- Targets should not be an official statistic
- Batted balls = Illegal!!!
- Cash payments on the field for late hits
Peyton Manning gives five rule changes he believes need to happen in the NFL ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/BLYvJjSu6e
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 23, 2025
Roger Goodell has some work to do.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated

Blake Silverman is a writer at Sports Illustrated, primarily covering the NBA and WNBA. Before joining SI in November 2024 as a breaking/trending news writer, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation and A10Talk. He’s an alum of both Michigan State and St. Bonaventure University, receiving a master’s degree from the Bonnies’ sports journalism program. Outside of work, he’s a husband, father, yogi and fairly mediocre tennis player who’s open to any tips on how to play defense in EA Sports College Football.