Rich McKay: Not expecting tush push ban proposal this year

INDIANAPOLIS – NFL competition committee co-chairman Rich McKay said Sunday he is not expecting an effort to ban the tush push this year, after a year of debate in the NFL over short-yardage plays.

“I haven’t seen any team offers in this,” McKay said after a day of meetings at the NFL Combine. “So, I wouldn’t imagine it. But you never know.”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter Reported in September There was no assurance of reviving the tush push debate in 2026, as sources cited the vitriol of last year’s discussions and the eventual failure to garner enough support for change.

This play has been used extensively by two teams: the philadelphia eagles And buffalo bill. Overall, the NFL saw a slightly higher bump in 2025 (112) than 2024 (101). The Eagles (27) and Bills (17) lead the league in rushing attempts by far, but other teams began experimenting with using tight ends instead of quarterbacks to gain ground – especially pittsburgh steelers And Seattle Seahawks. The conversion rate was slightly lower in 2025, as teams made first downs on 76.8% of their attempts compared to 82% from 2022 to 2024.

Although there have been some subjective concerns about the safety of the play, the NFL has not yet publicized any health data to support those doubts.

The 2025 debate was fierce. green Bay Packers It was directly targeted by a proposal with unusually specific language to ban the play in February 2025. The Packers’ proposal called for a ban on offensive players from immediately pushing a teammate who is standing directly behind the snapper and receiving the snap.

NFL rules changes require the approval of 24 owners, and only 16 supported the ban, as of the time this was written. The NFL discussed the idea at the owners’ meeting in March, but the Packers revised their proposal to generally prohibit players from pushing all ball carriers regardless of where they are on the field, briefly reviving a rule that existed in the NFL until 2005.

The amendment failed by two votes during the league’s May 2025 meeting.

In other news, Mackay said:

• He doesn’t envision a “big year” in terms of proposed rule changes. “The game is in pretty good shape,” he said.

• There has been some discussion about changing the playoff seeding process, but they have not seen any proposals yet.

• The committee negotiated at length about the NFL’s catch rule. Following a number of controversial decisions in 2025, particularly as it applies to the element of time required for a complete catch, Mackay said: “Our technology today is extraordinary, so the ability to go frame by frame and slow things down, it’s a good solution for many things but it presents challenges for others. We need to make sure that your rules, as written, don’t just match. [with] Not what’s on the field but how it’s seen in the replays.”