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The interesting part of the NFL meetings, votes on rule changes, comes down on Wednesday when four different matters will be put in front of the owners.
The most controversial suggested rule change is to outlaw the Tush Push, the quarterback sneak play that the Philadelphia Eagles are so good at, which has raised fairness complaints.
A rule change needs the votes of 24 of the 32 owners to be enacted, and there wasn't support for a ban on the Tush Push at meetings in April. Other rule changes that will be voted on are modifications on playoff seeding, onside kicks and allowing NFL players to compete in the 2028 Olympics flag football competition.
Also known as the Brotherly Shove, the play the Philadelphia Eagles (and Buffalo Bills) are uniquely good at comes up for a vote Wednesday.
The Green Bay Packers have submitted a rule that would outlaw the specialized quarterback sneak play, modifying it to the point where the suggested rule now says "offensive players cannot assist the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him."
In other words, players can't push their teammate quarterback from behind.
Rules have to garner three-quarters of the owners' vote, so 24 of the 32 owners would have to vote for this. This proposal was floated in April, and at the time, there was reportedly a 16-16 split among the owners, so a potential vote was tabled.
According to ESPN Research, the tush push appeared in 0.28% of total plays last year, but the Eagles and Buffalo Bills combined to run 163 pushes in the past three seasons, more than the rest of the NFL combined.
The Eagles got a first down on 78% of their tush pushes, while the Bills were successful on 87% of their tush push attempts. The rest of the league was successful 71% of the time, according to ESPN Research.
The push to ban the tush push picked up steam in last season's NFC Championship game when the Washington Commanders repeatedly jumped offsides before Philadelphia could snap the ball, leading to a warning that another offsides would result in an automatic Eagles touchdown.
The Commanders then refrained from jumping, and Philadelphia's tush pushed the ball into the end zone.
A proposal initially put forward by the Detroit Lions will seed teams for the playoffs based solely on their record instead of giving the top four seeds to the four division winners.
For example, in 2024, the 10-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 10-7 Los Angeles Rams were third and fourth seeds, respectively, while the 14-3 Minnesota Vikings were a fifth seed and had to play a first-round playoff game on the road.
Under this proposal, a wild card could be seeded as high as second and a division winner seeded as low as seventh. Division winners will automatically get the tiebreaker if they finish with the same mark as a wild card.
The four division winners will still be guaranteed playoff spots, along with the three best non-division winners, the same as in 2024.
Under this proposal, a team can declare it will kick an onside kick at any point in the game if it is trailing. Under current rules, a team can only attempt an onside kick in the fourth quarter when it is trailing.
Also, under the proposal, players on the kicking team can line up with a foot on the 35-yard line. Under current rules, they must line up with a foot on the 34.
Owners are reportedly set to allow NFL players to participate in the 2028 Olympic flag football competition. Each team would be limited to one player. Players competing in the Olympics would likely miss the start of training camp, as the Olympics end on July 30, a week or so after most teams start camp.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at [email protected]; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: NFL rule changes 2025: NFL owners set to vote, including Tush Push ban
Continue reading...
The most controversial suggested rule change is to outlaw the Tush Push, the quarterback sneak play that the Philadelphia Eagles are so good at, which has raised fairness complaints.
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A rule change needs the votes of 24 of the 32 owners to be enacted, and there wasn't support for a ban on the Tush Push at meetings in April. Other rule changes that will be voted on are modifications on playoff seeding, onside kicks and allowing NFL players to compete in the 2028 Olympics flag football competition.
The fate of the Tush Push comes to a vote
Also known as the Brotherly Shove, the play the Philadelphia Eagles (and Buffalo Bills) are uniquely good at comes up for a vote Wednesday.
The Green Bay Packers have submitted a rule that would outlaw the specialized quarterback sneak play, modifying it to the point where the suggested rule now says "offensive players cannot assist the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him."
In other words, players can't push their teammate quarterback from behind.
Rules have to garner three-quarters of the owners' vote, so 24 of the 32 owners would have to vote for this. This proposal was floated in April, and at the time, there was reportedly a 16-16 split among the owners, so a potential vote was tabled.
According to ESPN Research, the tush push appeared in 0.28% of total plays last year, but the Eagles and Buffalo Bills combined to run 163 pushes in the past three seasons, more than the rest of the NFL combined.
The Eagles got a first down on 78% of their tush pushes, while the Bills were successful on 87% of their tush push attempts. The rest of the league was successful 71% of the time, according to ESPN Research.
The push to ban the tush push picked up steam in last season's NFC Championship game when the Washington Commanders repeatedly jumped offsides before Philadelphia could snap the ball, leading to a warning that another offsides would result in an automatic Eagles touchdown.
The Commanders then refrained from jumping, and Philadelphia's tush pushed the ball into the end zone.
Change in the playoff seeding
A proposal initially put forward by the Detroit Lions will seed teams for the playoffs based solely on their record instead of giving the top four seeds to the four division winners.
For example, in 2024, the 10-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 10-7 Los Angeles Rams were third and fourth seeds, respectively, while the 14-3 Minnesota Vikings were a fifth seed and had to play a first-round playoff game on the road.
Under this proposal, a wild card could be seeded as high as second and a division winner seeded as low as seventh. Division winners will automatically get the tiebreaker if they finish with the same mark as a wild card.
The four division winners will still be guaranteed playoff spots, along with the three best non-division winners, the same as in 2024.
Onside kick rules could change
Under this proposal, a team can declare it will kick an onside kick at any point in the game if it is trailing. Under current rules, a team can only attempt an onside kick in the fourth quarter when it is trailing.
Also, under the proposal, players on the kicking team can line up with a foot on the 35-yard line. Under current rules, they must line up with a foot on the 34.
NFL players in the Olympics
Owners are reportedly set to allow NFL players to participate in the 2028 Olympic flag football competition. Each team would be limited to one player. Players competing in the Olympics would likely miss the start of training camp, as the Olympics end on July 30, a week or so after most teams start camp.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at [email protected]; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: NFL rule changes 2025: NFL owners set to vote, including Tush Push ban
Continue reading...
