In the new season, the NFL plans to use technical aids to determine first downs. However, the chain gang will not disappear completely.

It now seems certain: the NFL plans to replace the chain gang with an electronic system to determine first downs in the coming season.

This was announced by the NFL’s “Football Operations Department” on Wednesday in an interview with journalists.

The “Hawk Eye” system, best known from tennis, is to be used from the start of the 2025 regular season, with the chain gang only available on the sidelines as a backup.

The decision seems overdue, as the chain gang has long seemed like a relic from a bygone era.

For almost a hundred years, a group of referees have been using a chain to determine whether a team has reached a new first down in American football.

Among the interesting items from an NFL football ops session with media: the Hawk-Eye virtual measurement for line to gain is slated to replace the chains as the primary measurement system for the regular season in 2025.

The chain gang will remain on sidelines as a backup. pic.twitter.com/v9exggobVc

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 26, 2025

Chain Gang: Controversy in the AFC Championship Game

In the billion-dollar NFL business and in a digitalized world, this method seemed rather outdated.

Especially since there was controversy in last season’s playoffs in the AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills, and the referees disagreed on a game-changing call, whether to give the Bills a new first down.

Ultimately, they decided against it and in favor of the Kansas City Chiefs, which led to some discussion.

Perhaps this was also one of the reasons why the NFL has now decided to use “Hawk Eye” technology.

The technology had already been tested in preseason games in recent years.