The NFL has submitted three rule change proposals that will be voted on by team owners this offseason, and one of them would have a massive impact on the Philadelphia Eagles if approved.
In a memo issued to all 32 teams on Wednesday, the NFL outlined three rule change proposals. One was proposed by the Eagles, which is to apply the current postseason overtime rules to the regular season so that both teams have an opportunity to possess the ball. The second change, proposed by the Detroit Lions, calls for eliminating automatic first downs for defensive holding and illegal contact.
The third proposal is the one that will likely generate the most attention. The Green Bay Packers are asking teams to ban the tush push.
The NFL has distributed club rule change proposals — including the #Packers’ formal proposal to ban the Tush Push / Brotherly Shove.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 19, 2025
The competition committee, whose ideas generally have a better chance of being adopted, will reveal its proposals next week. pic.twitter.com/tEJXyYoYnQ
The official language of the Packers’ proposal calls for implementing a rule that would “prohibit an offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap.” The play would result in a 10-yard penalty.
A proposal to ban the tush push was first submitted last month. It immediately became clear that the Packers were the team behind it, which was not a surprise. Packers president Mark Murphy had previously complained about the so-called “Brotherly Shove” and said there is “no skill involved” in the play. You can read his full comments.
There has been talk of banning the tush push for over a year. The NFL and NFLPA had said they were planning to study the injury data related to the play to determine whether there are safety concerns. To this point, there has been no data that would support doing away with the tush push because of injury risk.
The Eagles used the tush push multiple times during their Super Bowl run last season. There was one sequence of plays during the NFC Championship Game where the Washington Commanders kept jumping offsides when they knew Jalen Hurts was about to run the tush push. The Eagles eventually scored, but many fans learned about a stunning NFL rule in the process.
Critics of the tush push argue that it requires no skill and results in an almost automatic gain of yardage. Yet, Hurts and the Eagles are the only ones who seem to have mastered it to the point where it is virtually unstoppable.
In order for any of the three rule proposals to pass, a minimum of 24 NFL teams would have to vote to approve.
