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Jason Kelce Thinks the Tush Push Era Is Over After Latest Scrutiny

Kelce said he thinks the play is "done."

Ryan Phillips

Jason Kelce believes the Philadelphia Eagles' signature play, the tush push, will be banned by the NFL.
Jason Kelce believes the Philadelphia Eagles' signature play, the tush push, will be banned by the NFL. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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The original centerpiece of the tush push thinks its time may be coming to a close.

Former Eagles center Jason Kelce doesn't think the team's signature play can stand up to the current scrutiny it is facing. During an appearance on 94 WIP in Philadelphia, the future Hall of Famer was blunt in his assessment.

"I think the play is done," Kelce said. "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."

Kelce pointed out that the Eagles are the only team that runs the play successfully or gains a statistical advantage from it. It therefore creates a sizable competitive advantage. He added that the aspect of pushing the runner from behind is the one argument against the play that makes sense to him.

Kelce’s comments come after a week of media momentum moving against the play.

During Week 2, NFL fans were furious after Philadelphia's offensive linemen repeatedly got away with false starts during a 20-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. That brought the spotlight back on the play that was almost banned by the NFL over the offseason.

ESPN's Adam Schefter claimed the tush push is on life support after last weekend, and Kelce has warned the Eagles that backlash is coming.

We'll see how the league responds.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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