Ex-Eagles Center Jason Kelce Weighs in on Tush Push Controversy

After Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, it’s safe to say the second-leading worldwide expert on the franchise’s famous “tush push” play is probably former Eagles center and 6-time NFL All-Pro Jason Kelce.

That’s why his take on the recently proposed ban of the play by the Green Bay Packers carries a little more weight.

“I mean, listen, I get it,” Kelce said on the “New Heights” podcast on March 5. “I would want to ban it, too, if we sucked at it and it wasn’t a mechanical advantage. The only issue I have is people saying it’s not a football play, it’s a rugby play. I don’t know what’s more of a football play. I really don’t. What represents football? Physicality, toughness, will. We’re going to fight for half a yard. You know what’s coming. We know what’s coming. We’re just going to bulldoze against each other like machines made of meat.”

On a “Tush Push” — also known as “The Brotherly Shove” — Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts lines up under center with 2 teammates behind him in a short-yardage situation. Hurts takes the ball and his teammates come from behind and shove him toward the yardage he needs.

It’s also produced 27 touchdowns for the Eagles over the last 3 seasons, capped by a blowout win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX for Philadelphia’s second Super Bowl win in the last decade.

Packers Expressed Discontent Over Tush Push in Past

Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy has been open in the past about his dislike for the tush push.

“I am not a fan of this play,” Murphy said in an online Q&A with fans on packers.com on February 1. “There is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less … The play is bad for the game, and we should go back to prohibiting the push of the runner. This would bring back the traditional QB sneak.”

ESPN analyst Ryan Clark didn’t mince words when talking about the Packers and their attempt to ban the famous play.

“Let’s run away from coaching and let’s try to outlaw this play?” Clark asked rhetorically. “It’s dumb and it’s soft.”

“Opponents of the Tush Push claim there is no skill involved, yet only one team has shown to have the skill to perfect it,” NFL reporter Andrew Brandt wrote on X. “The uncanny part about the Tush Push discussion is not that the Eagles have perfected it. It is that none of the 31 other teams have.”

Kelce One of NFL’s Greatest Centers of All Time

Kelce is likely a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer when he’s eligible to be inducted in 2030. He’s also widely regarded as one of the greatest centers in NFL history after 13 seasons — all with the Eagles. In his first season of retirement, he was part of ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown pregame crew in 2024.

“New Heights” is hosted by Kelce and his younger brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and sold its rights to Amazon’s Wondery for a reported $100 million in August 2024.