Packers’ revised proposal to ban Eagles’ Tush Push set to be considered at NFL meetings

The Tush Push survived the league meetings in early April. Will it survive this week’s NFL meetings in Minneapolis?

The signature Eagles play is on the clock, and the Green Bay Packers, the team at the forefront of the Tush Push’s potential ban, revised their rule proposal Monday hoping to wind the clock back to 2005. That’s when the pushing and pulling of a ballcarrier was last illegal.

The new language to the proposed amendment to Rule 12, Section 1 aims to make it illegal for any player to “push or pull a runner in any direction at any time or lift him to his feet” … and “assist the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him.”

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The original proposal from the Packers included language that aimed 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.”

Essentially, the Packers, whose president Mark Murphy publicly criticized the play in a column on the team’s website in February, want to prohibit all pushing and pulling of the ballcarrier. The revised amendment would eliminate the Tush Push but also provide a broadened change.

A rule change requires 24 of 32 votes by owners to pass.

“It’s going to be public tomorrow, and you know how I feel about it,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Tuesday. “We obviously were at the owners meetings. We talked about how we felt about it and I don’t think anyone could question what my sentiment is on it.”

The Tush Push, which the Eagles utilize more often and more effectively than any other team, has been talked about ad nauseam this offseason. President Donald Trump even endorsed the play when the Eagles visited the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl victory.

The play was discussed for about 40 minutes during the league meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., earlier this offseason. The conversation then centered on the potential injury risk associated with the play and its overall aesthetics, although league data revealed the play led to zero injuries in 2024.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said at the end of the Palm Beach meetings that “there’s a lot of discussion” about going back to the original rule prior to 2005. The Packers officially moved things in that direction with their latest revision.

Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu, who was penalized multiple times for offsides on the play during the Eagles’ blowout NFC championship victory over Washington, told NFL Network on Monday that he thought the play should be banned. He called it a “cheapo” play and likened it to a rugby scrum.

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Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata, a former rugby player, has long pushed back against that notion.

“I think it’s kind of crazy,” Mailata said late last month about the rugby comparisons. “It’s kind of whack. You want to try to understand, like, I’ve tried to understand why they want to ban [it]. But when I hear it being called a rugby play, that angers me. Because I’m just like, you guys don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s definitely not a rugby play. So it’s just frustrating. But whatever happens, happens. I’m sure we’ll figure out something else in the short-yardage game.”

We’ll know by Wednesday whether the Eagles have to figure out something else.

Mailata was asked again about the Tush Push on Tuesday, and joked that he hopes the play gets banned because he hates the name. The focus during this stretch of offseason activities, Mailata said, was on whatever new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo is installing.

“Because worrying about whether they’re going to ban the Tush Push or not ain’t going to win us another championship,” Mailata said. “What we do every day here matters.”