NFL owners passed a controversial bylaw last week indicating that teams can call for a fair catch during kickoffs and have the football automatically placed at the 25-yard line, provided it's fielded behind that spot. 

The rule itself is aimed at reducing the percentage of kickoffs returned, which was at 38% last year. Players like Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jamal Agnew are directly impacted by this development as a big part of his job is to be a difference-maker as a returner.

"As the game evolves we've got to evolve right there with it," special teams coordinator Heath Farwell told reporters on Tuesday. "It's something my assistant Luke Thompson and I have really looked into this offseason and we'll continue to look throughout training camp."

Farwell mentioned the Jaguars are also going to look into what's happened at the college level, where the rule has existed for multiple years now, to get a more complete view of how the rule works and how it should be approached. However, it sounds like the team is ready to abandon the kickoff return game after hearing the news.

After all, the coaching staff understands that what they've got in Agnew is special. He's not your average kick returner. 

"We've got Jamal Agnew, we want to return so we're going to try to return as much as we can," added Farwell. "If you have a returner like we do, you still want that – it's a big part of the game, it's a big part of momentum. It was a big part of our season last year of flipping the field and giving the offense the ball on the other side of the field."

Whether or not that's the right response to the new rule is another question. It's all about the risk of getting a worse starting position than the 25-yard line versus the reward of getting an explosive return that gives the offense a better starting field position. 

Per Pro Football Reference, the Jaguars had 82 drives start with a kickoff from the opposing team. Out of those 82: 

• 11 started at the Jags' 26-yard line or better.
• 16 started at the Jags' 24-yard line or worse.
• 55 started at exactly the 25-yard line. 

Out of the 16 that were worse than a touchback, five started inside the 15-yard line, out of which the Jaguars failed to score a single point. 

On the flip side, Out of the 11 that were better than a touchback, only one started on the opponent's territory. However, eight of those 11 drives resulted in points scored by the offense.

The Jaguars have to figure out in what situations and under what circumstances they want to take the risk of a bad starting field position while seeking the reward of an explosive return.

Featured image via Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK