Sean Payton is preparing the Denver Broncos to face the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5, and the longtime coach shared some interesting thoughts on the tush push ahead of the matchup.
The Broncos were one of 22 teams that voted in favor of banning the tush push during the offseason. That vote clearly was not influenced by their head coach. During his video conference with reporters on Tuesday, Payton said he was in favor of keeping the tush push.
Payton said he would have understood if NFL executives and teams wanted the tush push banned for “aesthetic reasons or competitive reasons.” What bothered him was when some people tried claiming the play is a safety concern.
“The reason I stood up in favor of it is pretty simple. If the powers to be don’t want it for aesthetic reasons or competitive reasons or it’s hard to officiate, etc. … I’ve been involved in those meetings for a long time and when all of a sudden health and safety was pulled into that, which might be the safest play in football, my bulls— nose kind of went up,” Payton said.
Payton added that he views the tush push as a well-executed quarterback sneak, which is a play that has been run in the NFL for decades. He also admired the way the Eagles used a fake tush push to score a touchdown in Week 4.
“Look, it’s a quarterback sneak, and I think credit Philadelphia. Take a peek at this past week’s touchdown off the tush push look. It was a sweep to the left,” Payton said. “I’m one that looks at it as, as long as the line of scrimmage is clean, it’s a well-run quarterback sneak. When you really evaluate it, it’s more the technique of the sneak than the push. You go all the way back to Green Bay against Dallas in the ‘Ice Bowl’ and frickin’ Bart Starr crosses the goal line with someone pushing a little bit behind him. So, I was one that was in favor of leaving it alone.”
Broncos coach Sean Payton, on the Eagles' "Tush Push":
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) September 30, 2025
"I was one, that stood up in favor of [it] … When all of a sudden, health and safety was pulled into that which, which might be the safest play in football, my bulls*** nose kind of went up." pic.twitter.com/4j3RZN3kk4
It seemed like Payton wanted the tush push banned at one point. His opinion obviously changed when he realized there were people within the NFL trying to cite bogus reasons to remove the play from the game.
The big controversy surrounding the tush push this season has been about whether the Eagles are getting away with a penalty when they run the play. If the NFL can find a way to make sure that does not happen, Payton said he has no problem with the tush push sticking around.
