The NFL owners meetings allow for all 32 teams to vote on potential rule changes and proposals made by teams as summer gets underway, as teams hold their voluntary OTAs around the same time in May.
For a rule to be changed or passed, 24 of 32 NFL owners need to approve the proposal, and the same rule changes were brought up back in March when the league held its first meeting. The May meetings are one final chance for proposals to be granted or denied before heading into the season.
The 2025 rendition of the owners' meetings included four major rule changes and propositions. The Detroit Lions proposed changing the playoff seeding to go in order by best record, as their 15-2 season came to an end in the Divisional Round against the 12-5 Washington Commanders. This proposal was then removed by the Lions, as the playoffs will still go by division winners seeded 1-4, then wild card teams seeded 5-7.
Two smaller proposals that passed included the ability for NFL players to compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics, as flag football was introduced to be a part of the worldwide games. Another was the ability for teams to perform onside kicks throughout the game when they're trailing, not only in the fourth quarter, as that was the rule in 2024.
The last rule change proposal that had the NFL world on standby was the Green Bay Packers' proposal to ban the play made famous by the Philadelphia Eagles, the "Tush Push".
This glorified quarterback sneak has taken the league by storm, with the Eagles accumulating an 87% success rate when running the play, compared to the 71% league average on QB sneaks.
Interestingly enough, the New England Patriots were one of the 10 teams that voted to keep the play around, with the votes tallying 22-10, as the play was just two votes short of being banned.
Patriots Voted to Keep "Tush Push" Around
With more teams trying to replicate the success of the play, including the Buffalo Bills and their freakish quarterback Josh Allen, it won't be long before we see the majority of teams running the play during short-yardage and goal-line downs.
New Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was a hard-nosed player, and that has shifted over into his coaching career with a "No BS, take accountability" mentality. He knows just how important building an identity in the trenches is, which is why Patriots fans will see a revamped offensive and defensive line unit this season.
Knowing Drake Maye stands at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, I could totally see the Patriots implementing this play into their arsenal more with Vrabel at the helm. We saw how successful Tom Brady was on designed sneaks, and with more help up front and bigger running backs in Stevenson and Henderson providing a push, expect the Patriots to utilize this play more in 2025 to get them a plethora of first downs.
The Eagles have mastered the play, and it's the opposing defense's job to stop it. It's a play based on strength up front, meaning every team can attempt it and they won't be penalized for it. Some teams just have better success at it due to their personnel and ability to block the play up front.
While fans of certain teams may think it's an unfair advantage for the offense, the play doesn't go against the integrity of the game, and it's fully legal in the NFL rulebook.
New England will not face the Eagles this season, but they have two matchups with the Bills and one with the Ravens, as both teams used this play in multiple scenarios last season.