The NFL league meetings are coming up, where they will vote on proposed rule changes for 2026, but will the tush push be one of them?
Over the last few seasons, there's been one play that has generated more controversy than any other in the NFL: the tush push.
A play that rose to popularity thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles, the tush push quickly became something that led to debates almost every week between fans, pundits, and others. It's also a play that the Buffalo Bills have become quite good at.
In 2025, the Bills attempted 27 tush pushes. They converted 24 of them, with nine going for touchdowns. The nine scores were the most in the NFL, by far. And that 89% conversion rate was the second-highest—the Los Angeles Chargers were number one at 91%—among teams that attempted the play at least 10 times.
It's become so common in the league that it's led to proposals to have it banned due to, what some would say, player safety concerns.
Most recently, a ban on the play was proposed in 2025, but failed to reach the 24-vote threshold to pass. The vote ended up being 22-10, and, surprisingly, the Bills were one of the 22 teams to vote for a ban.
But, despite them voting on a ban, it didn't stop them from running it with Josh Allen at the second-highest frequency in the league.
So, with the 2026 league meetings set to take place in Phoenix next week, many are wondering if the NFL will, once again, attempt to ban the tush push.
And that answer is no.
The official rule proposals for 2026 were announced last week, and a ban on the play wasn't proposed by the competition committee or any of the 32 teams. The only proposals by teams involved the ability to trade draft picks up to five years in advance (Cleveland Browns), and making permanent a rule for 2025 that allowed teams to have one video or phone call with no more than five prospective unrestricted free agents during the two-day negotiating window (Pittsburgh).
Other rule proposals from the competition include:
- Allow teams to declare for an onside kick at any time during a game
- Eliminate the kicking team's incentive to intentionally kick the ball out of bounds when kicking from the 50-yard-line
- Modify kickoff alignment requirements for receiving teams
- Allow the NFL to "consult with on-field officials when considering disqualifications for both flagrant football acts and non-football acts without being called on the field."
- For one year, allow the league officiating department to correct clear and obvious misses by on-field officials. This would be "in the event that there is a work stoppage involving the game officials represented by the NFL Referees Association."
So, as far as the tush push is concerned, there will be at least one more year of debating around whether it's a fair, or safe, play.
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