NFL Owners’ Stance on Packers Tush Push Ban Almost Confirmed After Sean McDermott and Coaches Supported Proposal

Since Jalen Hurts took over as the Eagles QB, they have successfully revamped the good old quarterback sneak to their advantage. Also known as the “Brotherly Shove” after its origin in Philadelphia, the play has been so effectively utilized by the Super Bowl champions that Hurts tied for the fifth-most rushing touchdowns (14) in 2024. In fact, they scored their first touchdown in Super Bowl LIX using the “tush push.” While many teams have tried to copy the play in their own fashion, they haven’t been as successful as the Eagles. However, it is unclear whether Nick Sirianni will be able to utilize the game-changing tactic in the upcoming season after the Packers officially proposed a rule change banning the “tush push.”

The news of a team seeking a ban on the Eagles’ popular play first emerged at the end of last month, with the Packers GM Brian Gutekunst confirming that his side made the proposal. A few days ago, the NFL confirmed the development and the official proposal from Green Bay which reads, “To prohibit an offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap.” As such, it is bound to be a hot topic when the NFL owners and executives sit down for the annual meeting on March 30. So what does the future hold?

Last year, the league’s owners approved the new dynamic kickoff format while the hip-drop tackle was banned. However, banning the tush push was not on the agenda back then. But NFL’s EVP of football operations Troy Vincent confirmed last month it would become “a topic of discussion moving into March.” With the date for discussion looming, NFL insider Dianna Russini shared her take on which way the owners may lean.

Russini, was on the Dan Patrick Show on Thursday when Patrick asked her, “Is there any chance that the NFL, when the owners get together, they’re going to say, ‘You know what? None of us can stop it. We want it out of the game,’  and then we vote on it?” Russini said that it is a “long shot” and that the proposal may have had “more teeth” a year ago. 

“You saw the report that Green Bay is the one that proposed it because they bring up player safety. There’s no information about that out there. That’s not really a strong leg to stand on at this point. But even having conversations about this over the last few weeks when it started to bubble up again,” Russini mentioned. In their proposal, the Packers referenced “player safety” and “pace of play” as reasons to get rid of the play. However, last month Troy Vincent confirmed that the internal data shows the ‘tush push’ is not an unsafe play. The league’s data showed that the injury rate suffered on a tush push play in 2024 was zero percent.

“I think you always have to look at some of the players involved, and I never got the sense that Roger Goodell was for it. I always felt that he didn’t like it because he thought it was an ugly play. He didn’t like the optics, the aesthetics, and I know that there are some on the competition committee who feel that way as well,” Russini said. Reportedly, during the 2023 NFL season, Roger Goodell wanted to ban the tush push, but the league said it would monitor the play and potentially take action if it led to more injuries. While it is on the agenda this year, Russini thinks that the owners might not push for a ban straightaway.

“I think, in the end, most around the league, including owners, have the same mindset that you do and that a lot of teams do. It’s, ‘Let’s not punish this team because you can’t figure out a way to stop it.’ Maybe put your efforts into solving that problem before having to change the rule because your team doesn’t have that advantage,” she added.

The “tush push” typically involves a quarterback taking the snap from under center and trying to run forward while multiple players lined up behind him aid him with a push on his backside. The Eagles have been exceptionally successful with this play, converting 39 out of 48 ‘tush push’ plays into first downs or touchdowns during the 2024 season, including the playoffs. One of the teams on the receiving end of it was the Packers, who lost to the Eagles in the NFC Wild Card round. 

If the rule change is approved, using the “tush push” will result in a 10-yard penalty. For the rule to pass, 24 of the NFL’s 32 owners would have to vote in favor. Meanwhile, Nick Sirrani had his say on the Packers’ proposal seeking to ban the tush push.

Speaking at the NFL’s scouting combine on February 25, the Eagles HC said, “I almost feel a little insulted because we work so hard at that play. The amount of things that we’ve looked into, how to coach that play, the fundamentals. … I can’t tell you how many times we practice the snap. We practice the play because it’s not a play that was easy to practice in different ways. We figured out how to practice it. We work really, really hard and our guys are talented at this play.”

Beyond the tush push, the Detroit Lions are pushing for changes to illegal defensive contact and holding penalties. Meanwhile, the Eagles are advocating for postseason overtime rules to apply in the regular season as well. That’s not all! At the NFL’s annual meeting in Florida, other key topics include allowing wild card teams to be seeded higher than division winners and preventing IR players from counting toward the roster limit are also up for debate.

On top of that, the Steelers have proposed allowing teams to contact free agents during the legal tampering window while the Commanders are pushing for more opportunities to scout potential playoff opponents—a crucial advantage for any NFL team. Lastly, more than five teams are advocating for practice access to K-balls, which are currently only provided on game day.

The league will dive into these proposals during a four-day meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, with team owners in attendance. Meanwhile, several NFL head coaches—including Sean McDermott—have voiced their support for banning the tush push.

Sean McDermott and other HCs support the tush push ban

The Bills are one of the teams who have tried to replicate the “tush push” and have also found success. They have been able to push Josh Allen in short-yardage situations and have used the play effectively. Last season, Allen converted 20 of 21 third or fourth-down quarterback sneaks before the AFC Championship Game.

But Bills head coach Sean McDermott seems to be in favor of the ban. According to him, the play increases the risk of injury for players attempting to gain a first down. McDermott emphasized player safety, saying, “My strong feeling is let’s make sure that what we are doing keeps our players healthy and safe. I don’t know if the right word is … but the physics of it scares me—the positioning of heads, spines, or whatever, that scares me.”

Earlier as well, he maintained his concern for player health saying, “You have to go back through, in fairness, to the injury data on the play, but I just think the optics of it I’m not in love with.” However, if we look at the stats for gaining first downs, the Bills rank second—right behind the Eagles. According to ESPN, over the past three seasons, the Eagles have used the tush push to convert 92 first downs, while Sean McDermott’s Bills have done so 50 times.

Below them, the Bears and Steelers also make the list, with 14 and 12 first downs, respectively. It’s surprising to see McDermott so concerned about the play, considering his team benefits from it more than almost anyone else.

Falcons coach Raheem Morris is also in favor of banning the play, saying, “I’ve never been a fan. Never understood why it was allowed. I definitely will be one of the guys voting against it.”

That said, the NFL still has a long road ahead if it wants to eliminate this rule. The tush push isn’t just a strategic advantage on the field—it’s also a loophole in the system itself. So, what do you think? Will the NFL owners vote against it? Or will we get another season of the “Brotherly Shove?”