The Green Bay Packers’ proposal to push the Philadelphia Eagles’ Tush Push out of the game has come up well short of the goal line. The proposal has been tabled, meaning it did not receive enough support to move forward. Without the required 75% approval from team owners at the NFL Owners Meetings in Palm Beach, Florida, the play will remain legal —at least for now.
Super Bowl Champion Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni made it clear this morning at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, that he actively lobbied and pushed other coaches around the NFL to keep the Tush Push in the game.
“My opinion is very well documented… have I been lobbying? Yeah, I’ve talked to a few people," Sirianni admitted with a smirk.
Sirianni’s efforts paid off, as there was never enough momentum to push through the ban. The Eagles can now continue using their nearly unstoppable short-yardage strategy that has helped them dominate 3rd and 4th downs.
Sirianni and the Eagles had enough support around the league, including from Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen, who helped the Eagles perfect the play when he was their offensive coordinator.
"Of course he has," Steichen said of Sirianni, who hired him in 2021 to be the Eagles' offensive coordinator. "I’m not in favor of taking it out, I think it’s good for the game."
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was also publicly in favor of keeping the controversial play despite initially thinking it was indeed illegal.
"The first time I saw it, I couldn’t believe that it was legal," Tomlin said at the NFL Owners Meetings. “You hate to be against it, because when people are innovative, you want to respect that. We hate to penalize them for it."
Nick Sirianni Responds to Injury Concerns
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott and others have cited player safety as a reason for banning the Tush Push, despite no conclusive evidence showing the play is dangerous.
McDermott admitted at the owners meetings that he believes there’s injury risk associated with the play, even though there’s no significant injury data to support the claim.
“My biggest concern is the health and safety of the players," McDermott said at the NFL Owners Meetings.
When asked about McDermott’s claim that the play is dangerous, Sirianni shut it down with a detailed response:
"I know what the data says. And I know how we coach it. We don’t coach a push play any different than we coach a quarterback sneak play. We were healthy on the play. I believe the whole entire NFL was healthy on the play."
According to Sirianni, the data should go back even further than people think. He pointed out that the quarterback sneak has been around the NFL for decades, dating back to legendary Packers Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr—a reminder Green Bay fans might not love.
“I think somebody said something about Bart Starr running the play a long time ago. So that play’s been in for a very long time. There’s probably enough (injury) data on that play to get information.”
In other words, if the play were truly dangerous, there should be decades worth of evidence to support that claim—and there isn’t.
While the Green Bay Packers were the team that formally submitted the proposal to ban the Tush Push, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst distanced himself from its creation but still voiced his support.
"I was not responsible for drafting the proposal, but I support it. Medical professionals of the league had high concerns about putting players in a position to catastrophic injuries… this is something that needs to be discussed & we need to be proactive."
Despite Gutekunst’s concerns, the NFL’s competition committee did not present any significant injury data supporting a ban. That lack of evidence played a major role in why the proposal did not gain enough support to pass.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur also shared his thoughts on the Tush Push, calling it "more of a rugby play" rather than a traditional football play. LaFleur added, "I don’t think it is a great football play."
Since Sirianni became head coach in 2021, the Eagles have turned the quarterback sneak into an almost automatic conversion. Since 2022, they have run the Tush Push or QB sneak 92 times on 3rd or 4th and 1, converting at an incredible 91.3% success rate—well above the NFL average of 84.2%.
Last season the Super Bowl champs converted 39 of its 48 "Tush Push" plays either into a first down or touchdown, including in the playoffs.
It certainly helps having Jalen Hurts at quarterback, who has gone viral for his ability to squat 600 pounds.
Hurts converted 35 of his 43 attempts on third- or fourth-and-1, during their 2024 Super Bowl season.
Despite no significant injury data proving the play is dangerous, it has remained one of the most controversial topics in the league.
One of the biggest critics, Packers CEO Mark Murphy, led the charge to ban it, submitting an official proposal to the NFL that would have resulted in a 10-yard penalty for teams violating the rule. However, with the proposal now tabled, that change will not happen—at least for now.
Conversions are expected to continue moving forward but for now it's another victory for the reigning champs.