Reasons to not anticipate a ban on the tush push this offseason

After Super Bowl LIX, Tush Push Ban Not Likely

Following the Philadelphia Eagles’ victory in Super Bowl LIX, there was talk around the league about possibly banning their signature play, the tush push.

However, it appears that there won’t be any serious attempts to address this issue in the upcoming offseason.

As the NFL gathers in Indianapolis for this week’s scouting combine, Rich McKay, co-chair of the NFL Competition Committee, mentioned that despite last year’s contentious discussions, there isn’t currently any movement to outlaw the play.

“There’s no team proposal that I’ve ever seen,” McKay pointed out on Sunday, just before the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. “I didn’t really expect this, but you never know.”

Last year, the effort to ban the tush push was among various proposed rule changes. The Green Bay Packers were pivotal in that initiative, but they faced the Eagles in the season opener and eventually ended their own season in the wild card round.

The Packers proposed that offensive players should be prohibited from pushing teammates who are directly behind the snapper.

In the NFL, any rule change must have the approval of 24 owners to pass. When the Packers initially brought up their proposal, it garnered only 16 votes. Thus, the matter was deferred until the league’s meeting in March.

Later, Green Bay revised their proposal, advocating for a full ban on players pushing ball carriers, similar to the rule in place before the 2005 season. This revised suggestion eventually went to a vote, although it encountered a setback when two owners withdrew their support, preventing it from passing.

Interestingly, while the tush push remained legal through the 2025 season, it wasn’t exclusively the Eagles making the most of it. In fact, the entire league saw an increase in these plays, with 112 recorded in 2025—a rise from 101 in 2024. The Eagles utilized the play the most, attempting it 27 times.

Overall, the NFL saw a notable uptick in tush pushes in 2025 compared to the previous year. According to statistics, the Eagles and the Bills led with the highest number of attempts, registering 33 and 27 respectively. It’s also worth mentioning that while the Eagles had a decent success rate during the Super Bowl, their overall conversion for 2025 stood at only 64%.

Beyond the discussion of the tush push, McKay doesn’t foresee many significant rule changes this offseason. “The game is in a pretty good place,” he reflected after the meeting.

One proposal has already been submitted by the Los Angeles Rams, focusing on a specific incident that happened during a two-point conversion attempt against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16.

Some other ideas that have been suggested include potential adjustments to playoff seeding and revisiting how catches are ruled in the NFL. McKay noted that advancements in technology could help clarify catch situations. “Our technology is quite advanced,” he stated, emphasizing the importance of aligning game rules with actual play scenarios and how they appear in replays.