The Tush Push Ban Tabled Until May 2025

Earlier this week at the NFL Owners Meetings, the tush push play was again up for debate for being banned. The Green Bay Packers had the proposal this time, citing player safety and pace of play as the main issues with the play as the reasons the play should be banned in the first place.

Nick Sirianni, Howie Roseman, and Jeffrey Lurie did their best to defend the play the merits of that play, and why it should stay. It was decided after the votes on Tuesday that it would be tabled until the May meetings in Minnesota. Here is a detailed explanation of why I think the play will eventually get banned in May. 

The Rewrite Of the Proposal Will Likely Get It Banned

This tabling of the vote of the tush push until May gives the league owners and teams time to rewrite the Packers’ proposal, as they had a poorly worded proposal in the first place. There was no data on injuries occurring on the play in 2024, and the only issue of pace of play was the Frankie Luvu shenanigans in the NFC Championship. What I think will get the play banned will be the reinstatement of the old rule of no pushing before it was overturned in the mid-2000s. 

If they go back to the old way of the rule where it says no pushing or pulling of the runner, I think there will be enough votes. Most coaches hate the aesthetic of the play. They also say it does not look like a football play in the first place.

I think this has been what it has shifted to after this week. The tush push has been a controversial play since the Eagles introduced it in the 2022 season. The conversion rate of the Eagles running it in 2024 was around 83%, while the Bills were slightly better until the AFC Championship.

That is also why I think the Bills and Sean McDermott are being a little hypocritical by being on the side of banning the tush push. They ran it almost as much as the Eagles. They had some success with the play but it didn’t work at the most crucial time. The Eagles got there to work against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl and ended up winning the big game by a bunch.

Conclusion 

As an Eagles fan I will be a little disappointed if the play does end up getting banned, but I believe the Eagles will be successful without the play going forward. They will still execute the quarterback sneak well enough without the tush push element. The tush push ban will probably happen in May with the rule rewritten to the old rule that was around before the mid-2000s. If that is the case, I think there will be enough support.

There is a chance that the play doesn’t get banned, but normally, when something is tabled in the NFL, it will eventually get changed. Total Apex Sports is the place for updated NFL news and Mock drafts as we approach the NFL Draft.