The NFL world is waiting on the league’s 32 owners to vote on the Green Bay Packers’ recently revised “tush push” ban, with a final decision expected to come this week during their spring meetings being held in Minneapolis.
The rule change proposal was amended Monday to any act pertaining to “assisting the runner,” which would eliminate the “tush push” play made famous by coach Nick Sirianni, quarterback Jalen Hurts and the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. If passed, the rule change would also abolish any play in which a runner is pulled or lifted by teammates.
No team has been able to match Philly’s dominance when it comes to their famous short-yardage play with Hurts under center, but they’ve certainly tried. The Buffalo Bills, for example, created their own version of the play with QB Josh Allen, but head coach Sean McDermott has been among the most outspoken this offseason in getting the play out of the game.
Those in the Packers’ corner on this could soon get their wish, according to a recent report from Dianni Russini and Chase Daniel of The Athletic. Russini was “told by a league source that (NFL commissioner Roger Goodell) wants to see this play removed from the game permanently."
Daniel also shared an informed interview with FOX Sports rules analyst Dean Blandino, who believes the league’s decision to initially table the tush push discussion during the winter meetings in Florida is a tell-tale sign that it will ultimately get passed:
“Usually, in my experience, when something gets tabled from the March meeting to the May meeting, that usually means there’s an undercurrent, especially from the league office perspective, that they want to try to get this out,” Blandino said, via Daniels. “If I had to bet, I would think it probably gets voted out.”
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
The Eagles might already be preparing for life after the tush push. This offseason, they re-signed former linebacker Ben VanSumeren and changed his position to fullback. The team also bulked up with tight ends Hunter Bryant, Kylen Granson and running back A.J. Dillon in free agency, and added three offensive linemen in the 2025 NFL Draft.
There are only two teams in NFL history to score 40-plus rushing touchdowns in a single season, and both of those teams were the Sirianni-Hurts Eagles (2022 and 2024). If Green Bay’s proposal passes, the smart money will be on the 2025 Eagles to find the NFL's next iteration of short-yardage dominance.
MORE EAGLES NEWS:
- Eagles reportedly reunite with NFL exec who left Philly in 2019 for dumpster-fire franchise
- Eagles' Saquon Barkley projected to lose NFL rushing title to superstar not named Derrick Henry
- Eagles own three of NFL’s strongest position groups following draft, per PFF