'Tush push' stays legal
The controversial 'tush push' quarterback sneak will remain legal for the 2026 season after it didn't come up for a vote at the NFL owners' meetings—so teams can keep using the tactic next year (sports.yahoo.com).
At the Spring League Meeting on May 21, 2025, owners voted 22-10 on the Green Bay Packers’ revised proposal to ban the play, falling two votes short of the 24 needed to change NFL rules. (nfl.com ) The Packers’ proposal would have reinstated pre-2005 language that outlawed pushing or pulling a runner and proposed a 10-yard penalty for offenders, language the club revised after an initial April tabling. (nfl.com ) Competition Committee co-chair Rich McKay told reporters at the NFL Combine on Feb. 22, 2026 that “there’s no team proposal that I’ve seen,” and league data showed 112 tush-push attempts in 2025 (up from 101 in 2024), with the Eagles (27) and Bills (17) leading attempts and a 76.8% conversion rate in 2025. (espn.com ) ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported in late March 2026 that owners would not debate a new ban at the Phoenix meetings, meaning no fresh proposal cleared the submission window for this offseason’s rule-change agenda. (espn.com ) While the NFL stepped back from another rule fight, the UFL formally eliminated the push as part of its 2026 rule changes, making the short-yardage tactic illegal in that competing league. (profootballnetwork.com ) Reporting from May 21, 2025 listed at least nine teams that voted against the Packers’ ban — the Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans and New York Jets — per CBS Philadelphia’s vote breakdown. (cbsnews.com )
