NFL Set to Vote on Major Rule Changes Beyond Packers’ Tush Push Ban Proposal

The NFL is gearing up to vote on two significant rule changes alongside a controversial proposal from the Green Bay Packers to ban the infamous 'tush push' play. The league’s football operations department confirmed the upcoming votes on Wednesday.

The Packers officially proposed amending Rule 12, Section 1, to outlaw the move where an offensive player pushes a teammate positioned directly behind the snapper, who receives the snap immediately. Violating this would lead to a penalty for the offending player. The 'tush push' gained notoriety during the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2022 season and was instrumental in their Super Bowl run. Let’s just say, Green Bay clearly didn’t appreciate being on the receiving end of that power move in the playoffs.

But it’s not just the Packers stirring things up. Enter the Detroit Lions, who want changes to Rule 8, Section 4. They’re requesting the removal of an automatic first down as a penalty for defensive holding and illegal contact, calling the current punishment of five yards and a first down too harsh. Honestly, they might have a point—why should one slip-up gift the opposing team such a huge advantage?

Meanwhile, the Super Bowl-winning Eagles have their sights set on aligning postseason and regular-season overtime rules. They propose giving both teams possession of the ball in overtime, no matter what happens on the first possession. This change would extend the regular season’s overtime period to 15 minutes, mirroring the playoffs. The current regular-season rule allows the first team to score a touchdown to end the game, leaving the opposing team without a chance to respond. Fair? Not so much.

There’s more: the Lions are also putting forward two bylaw proposals. First, they want to see playoff seeding revamped so that wild-card teams with better records than division champions can be seeded higher. As it stands, division winners automatically get home-field advantage, even if their records pale in comparison to wild-card teams. The Lions might be onto something here—just ask the 2024 Minnesota Vikings, who, despite a stellar 14-3 record, had to travel to face the 10-7 Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round. The Vikings lost 27-9, while the Rams enjoyed the perks of home turf. Ouch.

All these proposals are set to be voted on during the NFL’s annual meeting, kicking off on March 30. Whether these changes see the light of day will depend on the league’s decision-makers, but one thing’s for sure—this year’s rulebook could look a lot different by the time the dust settles.