With One Notable And Illogical Exception, The AFC East Voted To Keep The Tush Push Alive

Now we know which 10 teams saved the Tush Push from fading into history and, well, the list comes with a very strange twist.

The teams that saved the Tush Push by preventing a two-thirds majority of owners to accepting a Green Bay Packers proposal to make pushing and pulling an illegal blocking tactic are:

• The Miami Dolphins.
• The New England Patriots.
• The New York Jets.
• The Baltimore Ravens.
• The Cleveland Browns.
• The Detroit Lions.
• The Jacksonville Jaguars.
• The New Orleans Saints.
• The Tennessee Titans.
• The Philadelphia Eagles.

What Do You Notice From Vote List?

And, of course, the Eagles voted against the proposal which would have banned their signature play.

But what do you notice about the remainder of this list?

Look at the first three teams on the list acquired by OutKick. The Jets, Dolphins, and Patriots all play in the AFC East.

But the list does not include the Buffalo Bills. We knew the Bills were going to vote to ban the play because coach Sean McDermott made pretty clear his distaste for the play at the NFL annual meeting in late March.

Still, Wednesday's vote shows exactly how illogical and downright ironic the Bills' position is. Because they are the only team in the AFC East that voted to ban the play.

And they are also the only team in the AFC East that has, until now, used the play with frequency. 

Three AFC East Teams Don't Use Tush Push

The Dolphins, trying to keep Tua Tagovailoa from suffering another concussion, don't run it.

The New York Jets, trying to keep Aaron Rodgers healthy, didn't run it last year.

The New England Patriots didn't make significant and extensive use of it.

But the Bills ran it all the time. All the time! The Bills employed the Tush Push more than any NFL team not named the Philadelphia Eagles.

They threw 248-pound quarterback Josh Allen in there a lot – including multiple times in the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs in January. 

Yes, this is strange.

Sean McDermott facing criticism for 9/11 speech in 2019. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)

Sean McDermott Dislikes Tush Push

And it gets weirder and weirder. McDermott, you see, was a proponent of a ban because he was concerned about possible injuries on the play. Except there was not one injury on a Tush Push play during the 2024 season, per an NFL source.

So what's the excuse then?

"It's two things," McDermott said at the annual meeting. "Added force, No. 1. And then the posture of the players, being asked to execute that type of play. That's where my concern comes in."

That's McDermott's opinion, and he's entitled to it and the Bills voted that way. So, since that organization is genuinely concerned about the "posture" of their players on the Tush Push, one supposes the Bills will cease using the play, right?

Right?

Waiting For The Bills To Ban Their Push

"I know we are one of the teams that people identified that run it. That's fair," McDermott said when pressed at the annual meeting. "There's other teams as well. Look, we're always going act in a way that's best for the health and safety of the players. And I think that's the responsible way to go.

"Being responsible and proactive is the best way to go."

That's not any sort of definitive answer that will ban the Tush Push from the Bills' playbook after they voted to ban the Tush Push from the entire NFL.

The Bills are going to have to do some mental gymnastics to continue using the Tush Push as they have in the past. 

But at least all their AFC East rivals are fine with everyone using the play even if they don't.