Holder ( American football ) In American football the holder is the player who receives the snap from the long snapper during field goal attempts made by the placekicker . The holder is set on one knee approximately 7 yards behind the line - of - scrimmage . While the holder is set , he places the hand which is closest to the place kicker on the ground ( In high school and NCAA the holder is responsible for a kicking block , which lifts the ball off of the turf ) , and holds the other hand out to receive the snap . After receiving the snap , the holder will place the football on the turf , or block , with the laces facing the uprights , and balance the ball with one or two finger ( s ) . The holder , like the placekicker and the long snapper , is protected from intentional contact from the opposing team . The penalty for roughing the holder is 15 yards and an automatic first down . Depth Chart position . Compared to other American football positions , the holder is one of the most trivial positions , requiring precision in the receipt of a snap and placement of a ball in short time , but requiring far less physical talent than a skill position and much less bulk or strength than a lineman . Because of this , it is exceptionally rare for a team to preserve a roster spot solely for a placekick holder ; most teams will instead use a player who plays another position to double as the holder . One notable exception was Patricia Palinkas , the first female professional football player ; Palinkas played holder ( and no other position ) during her short time as a pro player . The holder ' s actual position , on the team ' s official depth chart , is generally either the punter or the backup quarterback . Some high school football teams will place a wide receiver or running back at the holder position because of their good hands ( this is not unheard of at other levels ; Steve Tasker , a wide receiver and punt gunner , also played holder at various times in his NFL career ) . Backup quarterback . The rationale for having a backup quarterback holding is that the quarterback is accustomed to receiving snaps from center and long snaps from the shotgun formation . He also provides a threat for a fake field goal since the quarterback can throw a pass on such plays . Additionally , in the event of a bad snap and an aborted kick attempt , the holder might have to become the quarterback for the play , so having an actual quarterback helps in that regard . Years ago in the NFL , backup quarterbacks generally held for field goal kicks ( this is replicated in the highly successful Madden NFL video game produced by EA Sports ) . Having the backup quarterback play as the holder has faded out in the NFL , mainly due to a rule in the NFL ' s collective bargaining agreement that prohibited a team ' s third - string quarterback from playing except in emergencies ( this was repealed in the 2011 CBA ) . However , such usage has remained rather common in collegiate football . Many times a quarterback who was a redshirt freshman will serve as the holder his sophomore year . It is also common in other professional leagues such as the Arena Football League ( where there is no punting and are thus no punters ) or the Canadian Football League , where roster size restrictions generally result in one person serving as both placekicker and punter . Punter . In today ' s NFL , most teams use their punter as holder , the logic being that punters and placekickers have more free - time during practice , and punters are used to handling snaps from the long snapper . Exceptions . There are a few NFL teams that still use a quarterback as their holders . New Orleans Saints - The Saints tend to run more fake field goals than any other team , and due to that they generally keep a backup in as their holder ( this keeps opposing defenses in more of a zone coverage , and also helps the prevent blocked field goals ) . Dallas Cowboys - When Tony Romo was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys , he was their backup quarterback , and as the backup quarterback , part of his job was to be the team ' s holder , and he is the only current starting quarterback to be the team ' s official holder . ( Romo was replaced by the punter in 2010 , but due to many mishandled snaps , which resulted in missed field goals , Romo returned as the team ' s official holder ) . The Cowboys hired a more experienced holder , Brian Moorman , in 2012 . Buffalo Bills - The Bills assigned backup quarterback Tyler Thigpen as the holder for placekicker Rian Lindell in 2012 . This was due to a midseason change at the punter position , in which rookie Shawn Powell replaced Moorman on the roster . Denver Broncos - The Broncos used to use former starting quarterback Jake Plummer as the holder and continued to do so after he was benched in favor of Jay Cutler . After Plummer retired the Broncos began to use their punter as the holder . Holder ' s other responsibilities . During a " fake field goal " attempt the holder may pick the ball up and either throw a forward pass or run with the ball ( i . e . , act as the quarterback would on a standard play ) . In addition , if the snap is so bad that the kick obviously won ' t succeed , the holder may attempt to run or pass . However , this rarely succeeds ; the holder is usually tackled promptly . There can also be a holder during kickoffs and free kicks , but this is reserved for when the ball tee cannot keep the ball up by itself , usually due to wind . In such a case , the holder can be of any position .