NFL owners have decided to keep the “Tush Push,” the signature short-yardage play of the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, after a vote Wednesday at their spring meeting in Eagan, Minnesota.
Multiple media outlets are reporting that the vote was 22-10 in favor of the ban, falling short of the 24 votes it needed to go into effect. The teams that are said to have joined the Eagles in voting against the proposal were the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets and Tennessee Titans.
The “Tush Push” is a version of a quarterback sneak in which two or three players line up behind the signal caller and help drive him forward in short-yardage situations.
The Eagles — who also call the play the “Brotherly Shove” — have been nearly flawless in executing the push since 2022, with two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Jalen Hurts carrying the ball. During that span, ESPN reports, the Eagles and Buffalo Bills have run the play more than the rest of the NFL combined, with a far greater success rate (87% for Philadelphia and Buffalo compared to 71% for the rest of the league).
Also during the past three seasons, the Eagles have scored 27 touchdowns and recorded 92 first downs using the play, according to ESPN.
A proposal by the Green Bay Packers to ban the play was tabled at the NFL’s annual league meeting in April. The Packers submitted a revision this week to prohibit “an offensive player from pushing, pulling, lifting or assisting the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him.”
The initial proposal had called for those restrictions only to be in effect “immediately at the snap.”
After the results of the vote came out, the Eagles posted a graphic on X showing Hurts and the Philadelphia offense lining up against the Packers defense, with the caption, “Push on.” The Eagles also posted a 26-minute video of “Tush Push” highlights on YouTube.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters he did not take a stance on the proposal.
The proposal cited “player safety” and “pace of play” as reasons for the ban, although many opponents of the play seem to focus on the former argument. The NFL has no conclusive data that shows a link between the push and an increased injury risk.
Others have questioned the play’s place in football, suggesting it is more of a rugby move, and that its perceived automatic nature, at least when the Eagles run it, is bad for the game.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni defended his team’s use of the play while speaking with reporters in February.
“We work really, really hard, and our guys are talented at this play. And so it’s a little insulting to say just because we’re good at it, it’s automatic,” he said.
“The fact that it’s a successful play for the Eagles and people want to take that away, I think it’s a little unfair.”
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and retired Philadelphia center Jason Kelce addressed the team owners Wednesday before the vote. Kelce had explained on the most recent episode on his and brother Travis Kelce‘s “New Heights” podcast that he was going to Minneapolis “to answer any questions people have” about the safety of the play.
“I’m just going to offer, if anybody has any questions about the tush push, or whether I retired because of the tush push, I’ll tell you, I’ll come out of retirement today if you tell me, ‘All you gotta do is run 80 tush pushes to play in the NFL,’” Kelce said. “I’ll do that gladly. It’ll be the easiest job in the world.”
