New
Tush Push Survives For 2025 Nfl Season After League Fails To Approve Packers' Proposal To Ban The Play
EAGAN, Minn. — After months of attacks and two attempted bans, the tush push will survive into the 2025 NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles confirmed on social media.
After Wednesday morning debates at an NFL owners meeting that included speeches from team owner Jeffrey Lurie and former longtime Eagles center Jason Kelce, the league did not pass an amended proposal from the Green Bay Packers that would have functionally eliminated the Eagles’ signature quarterback sneak play that helped them to their title of reigning Super Bowl champions.
The tush push lives, Eagles say. Jason Kelce and Jeffrey Lurie save Philly’s signature play. https://t.co/g0I67pBYM8
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) May 21, 2025
Ten teams voted against the ban, multiple sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports. The proposal fell two votes short of passing.
Clubs that voted with the Eagles, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, were the Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans.
Initially, the Packers proposed restricting any offensive player from “immediately at the snap, push or throw his body against a teammate, who was lined up directly behind the snapper and received the snap, to aid him in an attempt to gain yardage.”
When that failed to pass in early April, the Packers aligned language more closely with a pre-2005 policy that banned players from pushing or pulling a runner, or lifting a runner to their feet. The only remaining legal physical aid to the runner would have been “individually blocking opponents for him.”
The Eagles and Buffalo Bills ran the tush-push play more over the past three seasons than the other 30 teams combined, per ESPN data. Their 87% success rate bested the rest of the league’s 71% average.
Jason Kelce, tush push savior and happy man pic.twitter.com/l6aaL4S4wl
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) May 21, 2025
They would have been most impacted. And yet, some in the league wondered if a ban would even meaningfully impact quarterback Jalen Hurts’ attack.
“Teams are gonna get the sneak regardless of the push,” one source familiar with the debate said. “Even when you watch the play, sometimes the pusher doesn’t even get to make contact with Hurts.
“Other times he does, but it’s after the first down was reached.”
This developing story will be updated.
