Eagles' Jordan Mailata Jokes He Wants 'Tush Push' Banned Because of 'Stupid Name'

Of all the reasons that opposing teams have given for wanting to get the tush push banned, none of them are nearly as clever or humorous as Philadelphia Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata's reason.

Mailata, whose team popularized the play, joked on Tuesday he wants it banned because the tush push is a "stupid name."

On a more genuine note, Mailata did explain the Eagles could simply run the play without the push part if the league votes to approve outlawing it.

Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown had a similar take, stating he didn't really have "any thoughts" on the proposal before adding "it's only one yard" with a shrug.

After owners opted to table a vote to ban the play during the league meetings in April, the proposal is back in the discussion as part of the spring meetings this week.

The Green Bay Packers, who filed the original proposal, revised it ahead of the spring meetings. Their revision notes that pushing or pulling a runner "in any direction at any time" or lifting a runner would be banned.

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, who denied having much to do with the original proposal, cited medical concerns as a reason for wanting to outlaw the play.

There has been no hard data to prove that the tush push leads to more injuries than any other play. CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones noted in February the NFL's internal data has shown there is a 0 percent injury rate on the tush push.

Philadelphia's success hasn't really spurred other teams to incorporate the play into their game planning. ESPN's Kalyn Kahler noted the Buffalo Bills were the only team aside from the Eagles to use it more than five times last season.

One reason teams may not be so quick to use it, despite some advantages it brings, is because it requires the quarterback to take on a lot of contact in a way that can understandably make coaches nervous.

Ever since Patrick Mahomes dislocated his kneecap on a sneak early in the 2019 season, the Kansas City Chiefs have largely abandoned the play. The Packers used a modified version of it in their playoff game against the Eagles in January, with tight end Tucker Kraft lining up under center on a 3rd-and-1 to pick up the first down.

The Eagles have been the primary beneficiary of the tush push with a success rate over 80 percent every season since 2022, including going 39-of-48 last season.

Taking a cue from Mailata, if the league owners vote to approve the ban, the Eagles could just come up with another name for it and try to run it in games.

Any proposed rule change requires at least 75 percent approval from the NFL's 32 owners (24 votes). The vote is expected to happen on Wednesday.