This offseason, it wasn’t just bulls in training and riders back in the gym. Behind the scenes, the PBR tightened the bolts on its Teams rulebook, giving everyone — from front office to chute gate — a little more structure, strategy and room to make big moves.
You won’t find wild reinventions here. But what you will find are key updates that put more power in coaches’ hands, bring more transparency to riders and keep the integrity of every ride sharp as ever. Here's what’s new, what’s different and what to keep your eyes on this season.
Home teams now get to choose whether they ride first or last. It’s a subtle shift with serious implications. Want to apply pressure early? Ride first. Want your final rider to seal the deal? Save them for last. Previously, home teams automatically rode last, but now coaches can pick a change that could put them out to an early lead to hang onto instead of backing them into a must-ride scenario. Only time will tell which strategy coaches lean into.
If a bull gets scratched before the pens are fully loaded, coaches have options. They can shuffle which rider takes which bull and even pull in a new rider from the event roster. What they can’t touch is the buck order — that stays set. But once the pens are loaded and the league makes it official, it’s a different story. After that, if a bull gets ruled out, teams can only swap out one rider for another. Everyone else sticks to their assigned bull and original buck order. In other words: You’ve got a short window to make changes, but once the chute’s loaded, the lineup rides as drawn.
Drafted riders won’t have to sign immediately this year. Teams have until July 7 to make it official, giving both parties a bit of breathing room. Just don’t expect to stockpile talent: There’s still a cap on how many riders a team can control at one time.
Banged-up riders are nothing new in this sport, but this season the league’s drawing a cleaner line on how teams handle injuries. If a rider gets busted up before July 7, teams can slide up to two protected riders onto Pre-Season IR. That opens up roster spots but benches those riders for at least the first four weeks of the season. After July 7, Regular Season IR comes into play. Teams can move up to two riders, counting anyone still hanging on from Pre-Season IR, onto that list. Once they’re there, it’s a two-week mandatory sit-out, though depending on the schedule, it might only cost them one event. The league isn’t letting teams get cute with this. Every IR move has to be backed by medical proof, league approval and the injury must’ve happened at a PBR-sanctioned event. You can’t just pick up a cowboy who tweaked his shoulder at the local jackpot and park him on IR. This season, the rules tighten the fence and keep everyone playing straight. The bulls do enough bucking — no need for rosters to get wild too.
Reserve riders now have a capped compensation amount. That means deep-pocketed teams can’t just scoop up all the talent for the bench. If you want depth, you’ll have to earn it with smart recruiting, not just a bigger checkbook.
Even the toughest riders aren’t immune to real life. Family emergencies, personal issues, unexpected curveballs — sometimes life comes at you faster than an angry bull. That’s where the updated Excused Absence List steps in. If a rider needs to step away for legitimate personal reasons, and both the team and league give the green light, they can be officially marked excused without penalty. It’s not a loophole. It’s the league recognizing that while bull riding may be the world’s toughest sport, life can still hit harder. For international riders, the league is also stepping up behind the scenes. The visa process has been tightened up, with clearer rules and support to help cover some of the costs that come with crossing borders to chase eight seconds of glory.
Riders now have more room to represent their own sponsors. The rulebook has outlined how and when logos can appear, giving athletes more space to build their personal brand without stepping on team deals or league uniform standards.
No appeals. No second chances. No re-rides. When a disqualification is handed down in PBR Teams, whether it’s a rider, coach or team personnel, it’s final. Disqualified individuals must head straight to the locker room and stay there for the rest of the game. Approach the judges after the call, and you’ll be escorted out of the arena entirely. In a league where discipline matters, one mistake can pull you out faster than a pickup man’s lasso. For riders, the timing of the disqualification decides whether the team has any shot at salvaging the round. If a rider is disqualified before they’ve nodded their head, the coach may substitute an alternate rider who hasn’t yet competed that game, but only on the same bull in the original buck order. Once the gate cracks or the ride attempt begins, no substitutions are allowed. If no substitution is made or no eligible alternate is available, the team takes a zero for that ride and finishes short. Disqualifications may also trigger additional league discipline after a full review of the incident. In a league built on accountability, one bad decision can cost you a lot more than just eight seconds.
When things don’t go as planned in the chute — whether it’s a gate issue or a bull that doesn’t give a buck — judges can award a re-ride. The process is now fully locked in, and once the call is made, the clock starts ticking like a shot clock in basketball. The Head Judge starts a 30-second decision clock. The coach has that window to talk it over with the rider and decide whether to accept or decline. If they decline, the team keeps whatever score was posted on the original ride. If no score was earned, they take a zero. If the coach accepts, a second clock starts — 15 seconds to declare who will take the re-ride. The coach can stick with the original rider or sub in an alternate, as long as that alternate hasn’t already ridden or been scheduled to ride that game. No rider can ride twice in a single game. After the decision is made, the league assigns the re-ride bull and resets the lineup based on buck order. For fifth-position riders, re-rides happen immediately once the bull is ready. If a substitute is used, the original rider still receives the payout they would have earned for that attempt.
The bulls may be bred to buck, but even the best can end up on the sideline. When a bull gets ruled out, the league’s got a system to keep things fair. If it happens before the first bull loads into the pre-load alley, the Livestock Director brings in the best available replacement, matching the original bull’s style and past performance as closely as possible. If a bull is pulled after the event has started but before that specific ride, the next re-ride bull takes its place. And if a bull is scratched after lineups are final but before the pens are fully loaded, teams can shuffle their riders or bring in a sub, but the buck order stays locked. The bulls may hit the IR now and then, but PBR makes sure no one bucks at anything less than their best. No playing hurt like their cowboy counterparts.
Each team gets one challenge per game, and they can use it on their own ride or on an opponent’s. The second the ride ends; the coach has 30 seconds to throw the flag and make their case. Wait too long, and your shot’s gone — like you never even nodded your head. Before tossing the flag, the coach can ask the Back Judge which judge made the call. Helps to know exactly who you’re giving the side-eye during the review. Just kidding. We respect our officials. But glare too long, and you might end up back in that disqualification rule we talked about earlier. Once the flag flies, the coach must tell the Back Judge exactly what they are challenging. If it’s on the other team, the opposing coach gets notified too. From there, the Replay Judge reviews the entire ride, not just what the coach challenged. Any foul, anywhere in the ride, is on the table. One flag. One shot to rope in the right call.
The 2025 PBR Teams rulebook didn’t reinvent the ride — but it tightened the screws on everything around it. The changes give coaches more tools to lead, riders more transparency and every round a little more edge. It’s still bull riding. It’s still raw. But this season, it’s even sharper.
Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media