Jason Kelce says Tush Push era may be over as NFL crackdown tightens

PHILADELPHIA — Jason Kelce says the Tush Push era may be ending. In an appearance on 94 WIP in Philadelphia, the longtime Eagles center said, "I think the play is done. I think that the play was going to be done last year. I think that there’s a lot of people within the league at multiple levels that want the play to be gone. Which is fine. I think we’ll still go back to running quarterback sneak and I’m sure they’ll figure out ways to be successful. I’m not really that concerned with it, to be very candid." The comments come as Philadelphia secured a 20-17 road win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, reviving a national debate over the formation. A clip circulating on social media showed Eagles offensive linemen seemingly committing a false start before the snap without a flag, renewing calls to ban the play. The Washington Post later reported that the league admitted there should have been at least one false start called on the Tush Push on Sunday. The NFL is reportedly telling game officials to call the Tush Push "tight" this weekend when the Eagles face the Rams, with Ramon George, NFL vice president of officiating training and development, saying, "We want to officiate it tight. We want to be black and white and be as tight as we can be when we get into this situation where teams are in the bunch position and we have to officiate them being onsides, movement early. ... Prior to the snap, looks like we have movement by the right guard. We also have movement coming across from the defensive side. This is a very hard play to officiate. I get it."

In the spring, the Packers led an effort to ban the play, but narrowly fell short of the 24 votes needed, getting 22 to vote it out, with the Ravens, Patriots, Jets and Lions among the teams that voted with the Eagles to keep it legal. On the New Heights podcast earlier this week, Kelce said he expected the league to get tough on the Tush Push, suggesting the NFL would be under a microscope moving forward. "They’re going to be under a microscope moving forward. Everybody is going to be looking at this because of what happened," Kelce said. "They’re saying they’re in the neutral zone, they’re saying they’re false starting because they slow it down to 1,000 frames per second. They need to be very, very cautious because the calls are going to be starting to come, and they should be."

The saga has intensified as Philadelphia prepares for upcoming games, with officials under pressure to enforce rules more stringently on short-yardage formations. The Chiefs game provided a fresh flashpoint for supporters and critics of the play, which centers on the offensive line stacking in a short formation to push the ball across the goal line with the quarterback behind the center. The NFL’s approach this season is to be transparent about rulings in these tight situations, an effort designed to curb what some view as an over-reliant strategy while balancing the competitive edge the play allegedly affords.

Jalen Hurts, the Eagles quarterback, has been featured in game photos showing a tush push in real time, including a moment where he was helped up by teammates after scoring on a similar play in Kansas City on Sept. 14, 2025. The image underscores how closely the play remains tied to the team’s offense and how frequently it has been used in high-stakes moments. The ongoing scrutiny has left players, coaches, and fans watching closely to see whether the play will survive as a staple or fade as officials crack down on its execution.

As the season progresses, the NFL’s mandate to call the play with greater precision will test both the Eagles’ strategy and other teams that have relied on the formation. The league’s push to be stricter in enforcement comes after debates about fair play, safety, and the integrity of officiating, with teams across the league watching how referees interpret movement, positions in the neutral zone, and onsides legality before the snap. The Tush Push debate is one of several ongoing conversations about how to balance play design with consistent, transparent officiating across all 32 teams. The outcomes of these enforcement shifts could influence personnel decisions, play-calling tendencies, and the way teams train for goal-line situations in the weeks ahead.

With the crackdown in mind, NFL officials are anticipated to monitor the Rams game and future matchups with heightened attention to the bunch formation and pre-snap movement. While Kelce’s comments hint at a possible transition away from the play, the broader league stance remains to enforce the rules strictly and to ensure that any push attempts comply with the letter of the game.