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NFL Not Expecting New Tush Push Ban Proposal for 2026

The competition committee is prioritizing replay reviews, catch rulings, special teams safety.

Overview

  • Competition committee co-chair Rich McKay said he has seen no team proposal to outlaw the tush push this offseason and does not anticipate one, speaking after meetings at the combine in Indianapolis.
  • A Packers-led effort to ban the play in 2025 failed by two votes at the owners meetings, with ESPN reporting a 22-10 tally where 24 approvals were required.
  • Teams ran 112 tush pushes in 2025, led by the Eagles (27) and Bills (17), and the leaguewide first-down conversion rate declined to 76.8% from 82% across 2022–24.
  • McKay signaled a quiet rules cycle, saying he doesn’t expect many changes because “the game is in a good place.”
  • The committee is weighing replay usage that could allow a flag to be added via review, revisiting catch/no-catch language, monitoring special teams concussion mitigation, and noting officiating challenges on the play without published injury data tying it to increased risk.