The Philadelphia Eagles recently touched upon their notorious Tush Push play, which was the core of their Super Bowl LIX run. After the team dedicated years to mastering it, the NFL nearly outlawed it after widespread debate. Revisiting the ban proposal, general manager Howie Roseman responded in the calmest way possible while poking fun. It hinted Philly might not be losing sleep over the play’s future. 

“No, I think we had a lot of conversation last year about the play and our feelings on the play,” Roseman said on the Rich Eisen Show. “I think that’s where we are right now, and so whatever we got to vote for and vote on, we’ll evaluate and analyze and have the conundrums of the decision.”

Roseman’s reply came when asked whether the lack of chatter in the competition committee about the Tush Push took him by surprise. It’s basically a play in which teammates line up behind the signal caller and push him to gain a few yards. It worked wonders for the Eagles during the 2024 season, boasting an 81% success rate in conversions on both 3rd and ‌4th-and-1.

When Eisen questioned the league-wide silence, the GM clarified he couldn’t speak for others. And that’s when the podcaster offered his own explanation, saying the play couldn’t mirror the impact it had during the championship run.

“Maybe it’s another area we have to improve on,” Roseman joked.

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Eisen’s assessment was spot on, as the Eagles succeeded on just 21 of 33 attempts (63.6%) last season. Quarterback Jalen Hurts admitted it’s gotten “tougher” to execute the play because defenses have changed their attacking approach. Now, they collapse edges, targeting pushers, and try to strip the ball. Meanwhile, Roseman’s message hints that he’s unapologetic about his team’s previous stance on the play.

In the 2024 season, Tush Push served as a yardage weapon for them. However, it didn’t sit well with teams such as the Green Bay Packers, who deemed it dangerous and called for its ban. They needed 24 votes to get rid of it, but fell short by two votes during a meeting in May last year. In response, the Eagles argued that the league shouldn’t punish them for simply executing the play better than others.

Speaking at the NFL Combine, competition committee co-chairman Rich McKay said he doesn’t anticipate the league banning it.

“There’s no team proposal that I’ve seen from it,” McKay said via ESPN. “So, I wouldn’t envision it. But you never know.”

Meanwhile, Roseman’s comments come after head coach Sean Payton took a subtle dig at the ban in focus.

Sean Payton throws shade at the proposal to ban Tush Push

Sean Payton finally rejoined the NFL’s Competition Committee this January. Having previously served from September 2017 to November 2021, he’s acting more bluntly this time. Speaking at the Scouting Combine, Payton addressed last year’s proposal, which couldn’t reach its end goal. In his view, the debate was never really about player safety. He believes it won’t ever be the reason for a potential ban.

“We discussed that last year for two hours, and we just adopted a thousand more kick returns,” he told reporters. “Which play do you think is more of a health risk? A thousand more kick returns. So I think if we choose to ever move on from that, it won’t be because of health and safety. It will just be like, ‘We don’t like it,’ which is okay.”

His response reflects his logical, no-nonsense approach to evaluating plays or other decisions. While acknowledging his love for league discussions, he admitted that his “B.S. meter” goes up when the logic doesn’t land. For him, it’s about being passionate and involved in shaping the game the right way. Amid other reactions, the push to ban the play also gained traction after the 2024 NFC Championship.

The Washington Commanders repeatedly jumped offside while trying to stop Philadelphia from executing the play. The move drew a warning from referee Shawn Hochuli. He warned Washington that another violation would trigger a touchdown for the Eagles under the “palpably unfair act” rule. That moment fueled frustration across the league. But despite everything, the league has still kept Tush Push play alive.