During the Spring League Meeting in Eagan, Minnesota this week, the NFL chose not to pass one new rule that restricts what players can do on the football field but approved another one that expands their opportunities on another sporting stage.
Team owners considered four total proposals during the week, first passing a resolution on Tuesday that paves the way for NFL players to try out for the U.S. flag football team that will compete in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. On Wednesday, a proposal submitted by the Green Bay Packers designed to eliminate the short-yardage play perfected by the Philadelphia Eagles known as the "Tush Push" did not pass by a small margin.
In addition, the onside kickoff rules were modified in the second year of the new "dynamic kickoff." One other proposal that did not pass was the Detroit Lions' submission to change playoff seeding so that division winners are not automatically granted home games in the first round. When it became clear that there was not enough support for the proposal to pass, it was tabled.
Earlier this off-season, in a round of league meetings in Palm Beach, the league also passed a number of other resolutions and rule changes, most notably changing the touchback spot on the dynamic kickoff, modifying overtime rules so that both teams possess the ball, and expanding replay assist so that it can review penalties such as facemask and horse collar tackles.
The resolution to allow NFL players an opportunity to compete for spots on the Olympic flag football team passed unanimously and also received support from the NFL Players Association and Olympic officials. Those three entities will have to work on the specifics of the process to satisfy NFL team concerns about the availability and health of their top players, but that is almost certain to be done successfully over the next three years.
The resolution does not guarantee that the NFL will have its own version of the mostly-NBA Dream Team in the 1992 Olympics. There will only be 10 spots on the U.S. Olympic flag football team, and there is already a national team with well-established players. In addition, only one player from any NFL team can compete for the U.S. team, though there will also be opportunities for NFL players with international ties to play for other countries. Six teams will qualify for the debut of flag football at the '28 Olympics.
The Tush Push, or "Brotherly Shove," is a short-yardage and goal-line play that generally involves a quarterback sneak with teammates pushing him from behind. Opposition to the play centered around the higher possibility for injury and the notion that it is "not a football play," but something more akin to rugby. The ban was first discussed at the March meetings but was tabled at the time and then rewritten to become a broader ban on pushing teammates who are carrying the football.
The updated proposal still did not pass. The NFL had previously had a ban on both pulling and pushing a teammate with the football, but that rule was changed in 2005 to allow pushing. The ban was discussed at a general meeting on Wednesday that included input from former Eagles center Jason Kelce – previously a key figure in the Eagles' tush push success – but not voted on until team owners separated into a private meeting. The final vote of the 32 teams was 22-10 in favor of the ban, but it needed at least 24 yes votes to pass.
The most recent proposal to change how playoff fields are seeded was submitted by the Lions but was likely prompted this time by the experience of their NFC North rivals, the Minnesota Vikings, who finished last season with a 14-3 record, tied for second best in the conference, but went on the road as the five-seed in the Wild Card round. Detroit's proposal would still give any division winner an automatic playoff berth but would not guarantee them home games in the Wild Card round. Rather, the conference playoff fields would be simply seeded by record.
When the NFL adopted its new kickoff format last year it also changed the onside kick rules, allowing a traditional onside kick to be attempted only if a team was trailing in the fourth quarter. That rule was tweaked on Wednesday allowing teams to declare an onside kick at any point in the game as long as it is trailing. In addition, the previous rule made the coverage players on the kicking team line up at their own 34 while the ball was kicked from the 35. Now all 11 players on the kicking team can line up on the 35. That is a small attempt to increase the success rate of the play, which only worked on 6% of the attempts league-wide in 2024.
