NFL owners take up tush push ban vote with Jason Kelce in attendance
By Canadian Press on May 21, 2025.
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles turned to one of players who fueled the success of the tush push to testify in defense of the short-yardage strategy.
Former center Jason Kelce joined Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie at the NFL meetings in Minnesota on Wednesday to help make the case that the play should stay, in light of a proposal by the Green Bay Packers to prohibit offensive players from pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping or encircling a runner.
Kelce, a seven-time Pro Bowl pick who retired after the 2023 season, said recently he wasn’t as concerned about a ban of the tush push as he was about clearing up misconceptions it poses an injury risk and was partially responsible for his decision to end his career.
“I’ll come out of retirement today if you tell me all I’ve got to do is run 80 tush pushes to play in the NFL,” Kelce said on the New Heights podcast with his brother Travis Kelce. “I’ll do that gladly. It’ll be the easiest job in the world.”
As the owners gathered at the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel next to Vikings team headquarters, the Eagles were going about their regular offseason business without worrying about an issue well beyond their control.
“It’s only one yard,” wide receiver A.J. Brown said during an interview session with reporters at Eagles headquarters on Tuesday.
Indeed, the plunges by strong-legged quarterback Jalen Hurts behind a powerful offensive line will continue regardless of whether a three-quarters majority is secured to pass the resolution. What the owners must decide is whether a teammate should be allowed to shove or tug him.
Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata sounded resigned and relaxed about the potential rule change when asked about it on Tuesday. He even said jokingly that he hoped for a ban because he hates the cheeky name of the play.
“Worrying about whether they’re going to ban the tush push or not ain’t going to win us another championship,” Mailata said.
After tabling the issue seven weeks ago, a vote was expected on the issue that involves aesthetics, integrity and safety.
If 24 of the 32 owners were to approve, the rule would essentially revert back to where it was 20 years ago, when a previous such ban was lifted because of the difficulty of enforcement.
Lurie has been leading the defense of the play his team developed with the coinciding arrival of Hurts in 2020. The NFL has no conclusive data supporting a connection between the tush push and an injury risk increase, as Lurie noted at the previous league meetings in Florida. The Buffalo Bills are also a frequent user and favor a ban for safety, though, as head coach Sean McDermott said after the vote was tabled.
The tush push not only assigns a player to push the backside of the quarterback for extra power behind a tight nine-man line but sometimes involves a blocker on the end pivoting to try to pull the ball carrier past the marker.
Health is only half of this debate, however. Entertainment is the other.
While the Eagles have nearly perfected the play for fourth-and-1 or 1-yard line situations with well-chosen personnel and well-rehearsed precision, it looks more like rugby than football.
The Packers have been among several teams voicing their distaste for the evolution of the traditional quarterback sneak into an all-out scrum. On the memo distributed by the NFL on Monday, the reasons cited for the proposal are player safety and pace of play.
“It was controversial when the forward pass came out,” Lurie said at the last league meetings. “I think aestheticism is very subjective. I’ve never judged whether a play looks OK.”
Regardless of the fate of the play, the fairness and fun of it are sure to be talking points throughout the season, particularly leading up to the Monday night game on Nov. 10 when the Packers host the Eagles.
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AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston contributed from Philadelphia.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Dave Campbell, The Associated Press
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