Sean Payton Had Blunt Message About Potential Tush Push Ban In Future

The debate over whether the tush push should be banned dominated NFL offseason discussions last year.

After the Eagles ran the play with exceptional success on their way to a Super Bowl title in 2024, the Packers proposed to ban the play. Teams and coaches across the league were split on whether the play should be outlawed, with those in opposition citing health and safety concerns among the reasons they felt it should be banned. The league ultimately voted in favor of keeping the play through the 2025 season.

It does not appear that the tush push will take over offseason discourse this season, though, as there have not been any rule proposals submitted about banning the play thus far, according to competition committee co-chair Rich McKay. However, a proposal to ban the tush push could resurface in the future. If that does happen, Broncos coach Sean Payton, who is a member of the competition committee, is making clear that the league would not be barring the play because of health concerns.

“I think if that ever goes away, it’s not a health and safety thing,” Payton said Tuesday. “We discussed that last year for two hours and we just adopted 1,000 more kick returns. Which play do you think is more of a health risk? 1,000 more kick returns. I think if we ever choose to move on from that, it won’t be because of health and safety, it will just be that we don’t like it, which is OK.”

Sean Payton says if the NFL ever eliminated the “tush push” it won’t be because of health and safety. It’ll be because “we don’t like it.” He said: “Last year, we spent two hours on health and safety on the (tush push) and then added 1,000 kickoffs. … Sometimes your BS meter… pic.twitter.com/7F2tzP0hAR
— Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) February 24, 2026

Payton added, “We literally spent two hours on the health and safety of a QB sneak and literally a half an hour prior, we passed a rule that allowed over 1,000 more kick returns. Every once in a while your B.S. meter goes up.”

Payton makes a strong point about feeling B.S. from those concerns. After all, The NFL’s message about wanting to improve player health and safety often does feel empty, especially when they’ve taken actions such as extending the regular season to 17 games, having teams play on Thursday Night Football with limited rest and incentivizing more kickoff returns.

Notably though, Judy Battista of NFL Network reported on Sunday that the competition committee brought in special teams coaches as they look to reduce concussions on kickoffs.

Ultimately, there are a number of other reasons teams could be in favor of getting rid of the tush push, from those who feel it is not a football play to concerns that it is too difficult to officiate, or as Payton says, simply because they do not like the play.

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