Jan 26, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) prepares to snap against the Washington Commanders during the second half in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher
There was a perception last year that Saquon Barkley's MVP candidacy was harmed by him losing out on goal-line carries to the "Tush Push."
Despite that, Barkley remains very much in favor of the play as debate continues on whether what's also been called "The Brotherly Shove" will be outlawed.
"If you don't like it, get better at stopping it," Barkley said to ESPN. "It's not like a play that we only can do. Everybody does it. Everyone tries it. We're just super successful at it. They were super successful at it before I was there. I know what it does to a team, how it breaks down a team. And now being on the team, you're lining up and everyone knows what you're doing and it's like, 'Stop me.' And they can't, so they're gonna get in their feels about it ... gonna try to make changes, but I don't see that happening. And if it doesn't, just get better at stopping it."
Saquon Barkley didn’t mince words when asked about critics of the “Tush Push” 👀 pic.twitter.com/KFmdkucFQG
— On Pattison (@OnPattison) May 7, 2025
Roger Goodell has made pretty clear publicly that he doesn't agree with Barkley's position, and would prefer to see the play legislated out of the sport. He may get his wish later this month at the NFL owners meetings, where a revised prohibition of the Tush Push is expected to be presented. Mark Maske of The Washington Post says that the bill — which will again come from the Green Bay Packers — will ask owners "to consider a revised proposal that would prohibit a teammate from pushing or pulling a ballcarrier anywhere on the field.” 24 of the 32 owners will need to vote in favor of the proposal for it to pass, reverting the NFL to the pre-2005 rule where you wouldn't be able to pull or push a player on your team.
At a certain point, it would almost be interesting to see what would happen if this proposal passes. Because the guess here is that the Eagles will still be extremely successful on short-yardage situations. Yes, it helps to have an additional group of players behind the quarterback to assist in a second effort. But even if that's taken away, Jalen Hurts can squat 600 pounds (in case you hadn't heard) and the Eagles have arguably the best offensive line in the NFL. On that alone, they'll still be overwhelmingly successful on short-yardage plays because the reality is the bulk of the work is usually done on these plays before any tushes are pushed.
