NFL announces changes to kickoffs, overtime and instant replay but owners table âtush pushâ ban
The NFL on Tuesday announced some key changes to the game for the 2025 season, including on how the ball will be spotted, the rules for overtime and kickoff rules.
The competition committee made the new kickoff format â in which the kicking and returning teams line up closer to one another, with the kick return men further back down the field â permanent. The committee also ruled that teams will now get the ball at the 35-yard line on a touchback.
The rules around the regular season overtime periods were also amended and will now echo the rules for the playoffs: Each team will get an opportunity to possess the ball, regardless of the outcome of the first drive. Previously, the game would end if a team scored a touchdown on the opening possession of overtime.
The league also expanded the instances in which instant replay can assist on-field officials in making a call.
The NFL also announced the use of Sonyâs Hawk-Eye virtual measurement system to measure the distance between where the ball was spotted and the line to gain for a first down. The league called the new system an âefficient alternativeâ to the traditional chain gang that holds the yardage markers on the sidelines. The NFL said the crews will remain as a backup option.
The survey technology will be integrated with the instant replay system creating virtual recreations of the measurements that can be seen in real time by in-person and at-home viewers.
One decision that was tabled was the question of whether to ban the so-called âtush push,â the nearly unstoppable play for the Philadelphia Eagles and others.
The short-range play, which involves the whole offensive outfit pushing the quarterback a few yards, has been a key element in the Eaglesâ success of late, helping the team win the Super Bowl this past season.
The Green Bay Packers submitted a proposal to outlaw it on safety and competitiveness measures and NFL owners were expected to potentially take up the measure on Tuesday. But the leagueâs competition committee has decided to table the discussion for now, with the saga set to drag on.
It could be brought back up in May for a reconsideration.
In order to pass any motion, there needs to be a 75% majority in favor of the rule change among NFL owners, with 24 out of 32 votes needed.
What is the tush push?
The tush push rose to prominence a few years ago when the Eagles began deploying it in short-yardage situations.
It is a running play in which the ball is snapped to the quarterback, who then plunges forward into the offensive line. While the linemen push forward, the quarterback is then pushed from behind by a tight end and a running back, akin to a scrum in rugby.
The combined efforts usually result in a short-yardage gain that is enough for either a first down or a touchdown and the Eaglesâ version of it is usually unstoppable.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts â who is the person with the ball in his hands and is being pushed from behind â has benefitted greatly from this play, with the majority of his over the last four seasons coming from the tush push.
It became a key driving factor in the team reaching the Super Bowl two years ago and in their title success last season.
Like many other aspects across the NFL, other teams have tried to adopt the tush push with varying success, while the Eagles remain the masters of it.
Why do teams want it outlawed?
Despite the success of the tush push, it has become a controversial play, with some arguing it takes away competitiveness and makes football less exciting.
The play, which bares similarities to the old-school quarterback sneak used in the early days of football, has also led to safety concerns, with players pushing against one another with all their force in such close proximity.
Green Bay, which was beaten handily by the Eagles in the wild card round of the playoffs as Philadelphia went on to win Super Bowl LIX, was the team to table the motion to ban the play, with CEO and team president Mark Murphy saying the tush push was âbad for the game.â
âThere is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less,â Murphy added. âWe should go back to prohibiting the push of the runner. This would bring back the traditional QB sneak. That worked pretty well for Bart Starr and the Packers in the Ice Bowl (in 1967).â
The that the rules change to âprohibit an offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap.â
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott â one of three coaches on the leagueâs competition committee â said that the Packersâ proposal âtakes away the forceâ of the play, prioritizing player welfare.
âTraditional quarterback sneaks have been around for a long time,â he told reporters on Monday. âI think thatâs the context of it thatâs important. Then you know the pushing of it adds the force piece, which again is, I think that exponentially raises my concern.â
What have people said about the play?
As one of the more controversial plays in the NFL, public opinions appear divided on the future of the tush push.
While many coaches and front office members havenât commented publicly on the matter, the ones who have appear divided on whether it should remain a key component of a coachâs playbook.
McDermott said that the discussion is primarily about the safety angle of the tush push, while also admitting that his team will continue to run a âformâ of the play if it is not banned.
âWhere Iâm most concerned is, even though thereâs not significant data out there to this point, my biggest concern is the health and safety of the players, first and foremost,â McDermott said. âItâs force, added force, and then the posture of the players, being asked to execute that type of play, thatâs where my concern comes in.â
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said there wasnât enough statistical evidence to suggest there was an injury concern related to the tush push, but said he and his peers are listening to the experts.
First-year New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn admitted scheming against the tush push takes up a lot of his defensive planning.
âTheyâve done a good job of creating a play thatâs hard to stop. To me, when I go back now, Iâm in my defensive coaching mentality, my job is to stop that play,â Glenn told reporters. âI think I will answer it like that. My job is to stop that play. So regardless, thereâs going to be another play that going to come out. Itâs going to be hard to stop. And our job is to stop that play.â
When the Packers first tabled their proposal, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni called it a âlittle unfairâ that teams wanted to take away a play given theyâd spent so many hours perfecting it.
âI almost feel a little insulted because we work so hard at that play,â he said. âThe amount of things that weâve looked into how to coach that play, the fundamentals. Thereâs a thousand plays out there, but it comes down to how you teach the fundamentals and how the players go through and do the fundamentals.â
Sirianni continued: âI canât tell you how many times we practice the snap, we practice the play ⊠the fact that itâs an automatic thing, we work really, really hard and our guys are talented at this play. Itâs a little insulting to say weâre good at it so itâs automatic.â