NFL owners shelve Eagles' 'tush push' for now
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) lines up for the goal line Tush Push play during the NFL championship playoff football game against the Washington Commanders, Jan. 26, 2025, in Philadelphia. Credit: AP/Chris Szagola
PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Eagles’ favorite short-yardage weapon reigns on. For now, at least.
The NFL owners voted Tuesday at the annual meetings to table further discussions on the “tush push” before deciding whether it will be banned. Falcons CEO and competition committee chairman Rick McKay said discussions took about 30-40 minutes.
The Packers initially brought up the proposal to ban the play and part of the talks centered around a 2004 change where the NFL amended its rule that disallowed players from pushing and pulling each other.
“We deleted that from the book because it became harder for officials to officiate downfield what was going on,” McKay said. “From that came a play like this and formation like this. So I think the idea was, listen, as opposed to voting on this particular proposal today, Green Bay asked, could we go back and talk about reintroducing the 2004 language, study it, understand it, and talk about it again when we get to May.”
May 20-21 is when the owners have their spring meetings in Minneapolis.
The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles have used the “tush push,” also known as the “Brotherly Shove,” since 2021 to great success and criticism. In the tightly packed formation, the quarterback lines up under center and is pushed from behind by two players after the ball is snapped.
It’s been successful in short-yardage and goal-line situations and other teams have tried to copy it. However, there’s been questions about its safety and NFC coaches were divided when discussing it during their availabilities Tuesday morning.
Giants coach Brian Daboll, who faces the Eagles twice a year, declined to offer his opinion. Some, like Falcons coach Raheem Morris, said they were against the play.
“I don’t think it’s a great football play. It’s more of a rugby play,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur told reporters. “Some of the injury concerns, we just want to get out in front of that and be a little more proactive.”
Other coaches like the Lions’ Dan Campbell supported the play. The NFL requires 24 votes from its owners to approve any proposal so gaining enough consensus remains a challenge.
McKay made clear the proposal wasn’t targeting the Eagles because historically the committee has avoided that. It’s more just evaluating if the play should remain legal and not just for safety reasons.
Most of the safety issues have been about mitigating potential harm despite the lack of data, McKay said, showing players are being hurt by the “tush push.”
“Just the traditionalness of the play, the idea that we could push another player, the idea that we prohibit pushing on the defense, but we don’t prohibit on the offense,” McKay said. “We just went in all those different directions. It didn’t just stay on health and safety.”
n Rule changes
NFL owners voted to approve three changes Tuesday. The dynamic kickoff will continue for the 2025 season and on touchbacks, the ball will be spotted at the 35-yard line as opposed to the 30-yard line.
The change was designed to incentivize more returns, according to Broncos special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi.
Replay assist was expanded to review flags for hits to defenseless players, face mask fouls, horse collar, tripping and running into the kicker.
For overtime, both teams will have a chance to possess the ball regardless if a team scores a touchdown on its opening possession. Overtime will remain 10 minutes, and McKay clarified that if one team holds the ball for all 10 minutes, the game will end.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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