The tush push lives to see another season in the NFL.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the controversial play will not be discussed during next week’s NFL owner’s meetings. Last month, Competition Committee co-chair Rich McKay said that no team had come forward with a proposal to alter or ban the play.
Advertisement
That doesn’t mean the topic will go away forever.
“I don’t know that it’s the end of the debate,” McKay said, via Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein. “I think there’s still people who are concerned with the whole pushing element.”
Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season
The play has drawn plenty of criticism, and multiple attempts to ban it, in recent years after teams — notably the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills — have found incredible success with it.
Last season was incredibly contentious, and the Green Bay Packers pushed the proposed ban during offseason meetings in 2025. But 10 teams ended up voting against that ban, and it was two votes short of passing. In order for a rule change, the NFL requires approval from at least 24 of its 32 franchise owners. Eagles owner Jeffrie Lurie was among those fighting to keep the play in the league during discussions last time around.
Advertisement
According to ESPN, there were 112 attempted tush pushes during the 2025 season — which is 11 more than the 2024 campaign. The Eagles attempted the most (27) and the Bills were second (17). In total, teams successfully converted a first down on a tush push about 77% of the time.
There was plenty of outrage over the play this past season, too. The Eagles, for example, scored a touchdown on a tush push despite officials clearly missing a false start on the play during their game in September. The Jacksonville Jaguars were completely unable to stop Bills quarterback Josh Allen on an attempt in the playoffs. Allen ended up going 10 yards before he was brought down, and former official-turned-rules analyst for NBC and Amazon Terry McAuley lit up the league for it.
“I very much hope the NFL competition committee addresses this in the offseason,” McAuley wrote last month. “This just cannot be a legal play any more. Now, only pulling a runner is illegal. All pushing, pulling or lifting a runner by a teammate should be illegal.”
What NFL owners will discuss for 2026
Per Schefter, five proposals were sent to the NFL Competition Committee for discussion.
Advertisement
-
Permit the kicking team to declare an onside kick at any time during the game.
-
Eliminate the kicking team’s incentive to intentionally kick the ball out of bounds when kicking off from the 50-yard line.
PITTSBURGH, PA – NOVEMBER 02: Indianapolis Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez (8) with the onside kick attempt later in the fourth quarter of play during an NFL game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 02, 2025 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
-
Modify the kickoff alignment requirements for the receiving team in the setup zone.
-
Allow League personnel to consult with on-field officials when considering disqualifications for both flagrant football acts and non-football acts without being called on the field.
-
For one year only, allow the NFL Officiating Department to correct clear and obvious misses by on-field officials that impact the game, in the event of a work stoppage involving the game officials represented by the NFL Referees Association.
Read the full article here