The Philadelphia Eagles' signature offensive play will remain part of their playbook as a proposed ban of the controversial "tush push" failed to receive enough votes at the NFL's spring meeting on Wednesday. The final vote was 22-10 on the proposal submitted by the Green Bay Packers, falling short of the 24 votes needed to pass. This outcome represents a significant victory for the Eagles organization, which actively lobbied to preserve the play.
Before the decisive vote, retired Eagles center Jason Kelce and team owner Jeffrey Lurie spoke directly to NFL owners, making their case for keeping the play legal. Their advocacy proved effective as several teams sided with Philadelphia's position.
The Packers had revised their original proposal language, which was previously tabled at the NFL's annual league meeting in Palm Beach last month when the vote was split 16-16. The updated proposal sought to more broadly ban pushing or pulling the ball carrier anywhere on the field, stating that "offensive players cannot assist the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him."
While the tush push appeared in only 0.28 percent of total plays last season, the Eagles have made it a cornerstone of their short-yardage strategy. Philadelphia has accounted for over one-third (34 percent) of the NFL's quarterback sneak attempts since 2022, executing the play 108 times out of the league's total 316 attempts.
Even more impressively, the Eagles have scored more than half of the NFL's push sneak touchdowns over the last three years (27 of 52). The only other team with significant success using the play is the Buffalo Bills with 11 touchdowns.
The Eagles and Bills combined success rate of 87 percent on tush push attempts far exceeds the rest of the league's 71 percent success rate, highlighting why these two teams were particularly invested in preserving the play.
In a separate decision, NFL owners approved a proposal allowing teams trailing in a game to declare an onside kick at any time. The rule change also permits players on the kicking team to line up with their front foot on the 35-yard line, one yard closer than previously allowed.
Eagles players themselves have shown mixed reactions to the controversy. Wide receiver A.J. Brown downplayed the significance of the vote, noting that "It's only 1 yard," while left tackle Jordan Mailata jokingly supported banning the name itself, calling it "stupid."