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Tush Push Fallout: Eagles, Lurie, Packers, NFL, Odds, Safety, Rewording

May 21st, 2025 at 10:04pm CST by Ely Allen

We saw earlier today that the Packers‘ proposal to ban the Eagles‘ notorious tush push play fell two votes short of the necessary 24 votes to pass. As the day continued, we saw some minor reports following the failed proposal.

For instance, Dianna Russini tells us that four high-ranking front-office officials were under the impression that the league used Green Bay to push the proposed rule change due to their lack of a principal owner. The thought being that, by using Green Bay, other team owners would be able to put their support behind the proposal without any singular owner being targeted by those who oppose it.

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie seemed to agree with this sentiment, believing that the league was attempting to influence the vote. He particularly criticized NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent for advocating for the ban, per ESPN’s Seth Wickersham.

Here are a few other notes from the initial fallout of the failed proposal:

  • Lurie’s speech attempting to keep the proposal from passing was reportedly described as both extremely emotional and passionate and fact- and data-based. According to Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the impassioned intensity of the speech was due to an internal feeling within the franchise that the Eagles faced an uphill battle and believed the proposal would indeed be passed.
  • We had mentioned briefly in recent weeks that the Packers were resubmitting the proposal with broader language in an attempt to gain more supportive votes, going beyond the QB sneak terminology to include any offensive player “pushing, pulling, lifting, or assisting the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him.” According to Russini, multiple sources believe the new phrasing alienated some teams and ended up actually hurting the odds of the proposal being passed.
  • In his impassioned speech, Lurie made some questionable assertions, per Russini, the most notable of which being that the tush push is “the safest play in the history of the game” and claiming that “whoever votes to ban this play is taking liability for putting risk on (the league’s) quarterbacks.” He doubled down on this in his attacks on Goodell and Vincent, citing that he had spoken to NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills about the play extensively, according to Wickersham.

NFL Minor Transactions: 5/21/25

May 21st, 2025 at 8:56pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor transactions from across the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Russell heads to Arizona after three seasons in Tampa Bay. So far, with his time in the league, Russell has improved upon his contributions as a player each season. In three years with the Bucs, Russell made four starts and logged 49 tackles.

Tasi arrives in Vegas via the league’s International Player Pathway program. The Australian native is a former rugby player of Samoan descent. The Raiders’ website lists him as a defensive lineman, but Tashan Reed of The Athletic noted that he was being utilized on offense today, as well.

Packers Reveal New Language For Proposed Tush Push Ban

May 19th, 2025 at 10:52pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Packers have officially submitted their revised rule change to ban the tush push, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. It includes expanded language that is expected to garner more support around the league after their initial proposal was tabled last month.

If approved, Rule 12, Section 1, Article 4 of the NFL rulebook would be amended to ban all instances of pushing or pulling of ballcarriers with a 10-yard penalty for any infractions. Green Bay’s new proposal reflects a return to pre-2005 rules, consistent with messaging coming out of the last league meetings where the original rule change was tabled.

Currently, offensive players are prohibited from pulling ballcarriers “in any direction at any time.” The new rule also bans pushing and lifting runners to their feet, along with a more general restriction against assisting them “except by individually blocking opponents for him.”

The revised language is far broader than the Packers’ original proposal, which specified timing (“immediately at the snap”) and position of the ballcarrier (“lined up directly behind the snapper and received the snap.”) Those changes are meant to assuage concerns that the rule specifically targets teams that use the tush push more often than others, namely the Bills and the Eagles.

However, the newer, more general language is open to criticism for being vague and leaving enforcement up to individual referees on a game-by-game basis. The league will have to devise a consistent way to officiate offensive players trying to move the pile after a ballcarrier’s initial momentum has been stopped. Moving the pile is a common practice in the NFL, but the wording of the revised proposal would appear to ban such an action. It’s also unclear if supporting a teammate to keep them upright falls under the umbrella of pushing or lifting a runner.

The Packers’ proposal retains language that prevents players from pushing or throwing their bodies “against a teammate to aid him in an attempt to obstruct an opponent or to recover a loose ball.” Reported versions of the new language differ on whether or not interlocking interference is still banned. Interlocking interference is a rarely called penalty for a blocker “grasping a teammate or…using his hands or arms to encircle the body of a teammate in an effort to block an opponent.” (Essentially, offensive players may not form a protective cordon around ballcarriers that prevents defenders from attempting tackles.)

Teams were split on the Packers’ first attempt to ban the tush push, but the revision has a legitimate chance to reach the 24 votes required to pass. The Eagles remain staunch opponents, having made a last-ditch effort to find votes against a ban, but concerns over player safety have persisted despite a lack of injuries stemming from the play in recent years. Teams are also concerned about the potential impact on pace of play after the Commanders committed repeated penalties while trying to stop the tush push in the playoffs, which slowed the game to a crawl.

With an official revision submitted, the league will likely take a full vote on the measure this week in Minneapolis.

The competition committee is also considering a proposal to change the onside kick, according to Pelissero. The NFL’s new kickoff implemented last year only allowed teams to try an onside kick when trailing in the fourth quarter. Teams will still be required to declare onside kicks under the new rule, but they may do so anytime. They will also be permitted to line up one yard closer to their opponents in an effort to improve onside kick success rates from six percent in 2024.

Packers Sign Round 1 WR Matthew Golden

May 19th, 2025 at 7:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Packers have not complete a rookie deal for a first-round wide receiver in 23 years, but as outgoing president Mark Murphy reminded ahead of the team’s Round 1 move in April, one was coming. That draft choice is now under contract.

Matthew Golden agreed to terms on his rookie pact Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. As a first-round pick, Golden — chosen 23rd overall — will see his $17.58MM rookie-scale contract arrive fully guaranteed. The Packers can extend the deal through 2029 via the fifth-year option, a decision that will be due in May 2028. This deal leaves second-round pick Anthony Belton as the only unsigned Packers draftee.

[RELATED: Packers Exercise Devonte Wyatt’s Fifth-Year Option, Decline Quay Walker’s]

This will be Golden’s third team in three years, as the Houston recruit transferred to Texas — which had lost Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell to the draft — in 2024. Golden placed himself on the early-round radar during his Longhorns season, accumulating 987 receiving yards and nine touchdowns to help the team return to the CFP semis. However, the former AAC, Big 12 and SEC contributor cemented his status as a first-round-level prospect by blazing to a 4.29-second 40-yard dash at the Combine.

Golden, 21, made a “30” visit to Green Bay while also meeting with the Broncos, Buccaneers, Cowboys, Chargers, Lions and Texans. The Bucs went with Emeka Egbuka at No. 19, and the Broncos (No. 20) tabled their apparent need for a Courtland Sutton sidekick to Round 3 (Pat Bryant). The Bolts chose Omarion Hampton at No. 22, leaving Golden for the Packers, who made the rare decision to invest in this position in Round 1.

Green Bay’s streak of first rounds without a receiver investment dates to its No. 20 overall choice (Javon Walker) in 2002. The Packers did not extend Walker, trading him to the Broncos during the 2006 draft. Since that point, they have been out of the first-round receiver business. Second-round standouts multiplied in the years that followed, as the likes of Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams and Jayden Reed proved themselves to be quality starters. Reed and fellow second-rounder Christian Watson will now take a backseat contractually to Golden, as the Packers have stockpiled rookie-deal wideouts.

Golden’s arrival will introduce questions about Watson and fellow contract-year performer Romeo Doubs‘ futures, as Watson is not expected back until around midseason due to sustaining a Week 18 ACL tear. Two years remain on Reed’s contract, but the Packers have fortified the position, thanks to also adding Savion Williams in Round 3. It will be Golden, however, expected to make an immediate impact due to snapping this organization’s lengthy streak regarding WR investments.

Packers RB MarShawn Lloyd Is “Full Go”

May 17th, 2025 at 4:23pm CST by Ely Allen

After an extremely disappointing rookie season that saw him miss all but 10 offensive snaps, Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd is ready to make a comeback for his sophomore campaign. According to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, running backs coach Ben Sirmans told the media that “everything’s full go for (Lloyd)” at this point.

With last year’s offseason addition of veteran free agent running back Josh Jacobs, not much was going to be expected of Lloyd in the Packers offense, anyway. Jacobs rebounded from a down 2023 season with 1,329 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in his first season in Green Bay. That didn’t mean there weren’t touches for other backs, though, as Emanuel Wilson was able to contribute 502 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, as well.

As a third-round pick out of USC, it was expected that Lloyd could have been that impactful RB2 for the Packers before injury and illness stole his season. He had experienced a similar disappointment as a five-star freshman at South Carolina, missing his first year due to a torn ACL. He was slowly worked back into the offense as a redshirt freshman and didn’t become a starter until 2022. Though he scored 11 touchdowns that year, he only racked up 573 rushing yards. He then transferred to joins the Trojans and, with only five more carries, was able to increase his rushing total to 820 yards with another nine touchdowns.

In the running backs room in Green Bay, neither Lloyd nor Wilson offer much physically different from Jacobs. All three rushers are around 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10 and 220 pounds. There isn’t really a specialized scatback or short-yardage option or receiving back in the three. If all backs are fully healthy, though, Lloyd should hold the advantage to land a change-of-pace role over Wilson.

If Lloyd can establish himself as an impact performer in limited time, the Packers may feel comfortable moving on from Jacobs as they get into the later, more expensive, and cap-eating years of the veteran’s current contract. At this point, though, Jacobs has proven to be plenty worth his deal, and Lloyd has plenty to prove in his first healthy year in the NFL.

Packers C Elgton Jenkins Seeking Contract Adjustment

May 14th, 2025 at 7:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

MAY 14: Jenkins is indeed looking for a contract adjustment to protect his future financial earnings if he remains at center past this season, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. However, the Packers rarely renegotiate with players who have more than one year left on their contracts. A compromised proposed by Demovsky would be to guarantee some of the $32.8MM remaining on Jenkins’ deal.

MAY 13: The Packers hatched an interesting plan to replace departed center Josh Myers. Elgton Jenkins is changing positions again, as a guard-to-center shift is on tap ahead of his seventh season.

Two seasons remain on the extension Jenkins signed late in the 2022 season, and while a center switch would stand to hurt his long-term earning potential, the standout blocker may be angling for the team to reward him for the sacrifice he is making this offseason. Jenkins is seeking a contract adjustment, according to WISC-TV’s Jason Wilde.

Jenkins has not yet showed for early Packers offseason workouts, though OC Adam Stenavich said the absence is not related to the new center’s contract. Stenavich had described Jenkins as “open” and “excited” about the switch. Jenkins, who has played all five positions along Green Bay’s front during his career, played 72 snaps at center last season. His other NFL center work came back in 2020, when he made 297 snaps. Otherwise, the former second-round pick has settled at guard and tackle.

After the Packers used Jenkins as their 2021 David Bakhtiari LT replacement, they shifted him back to left guard in 2022. Jenkins’ play at that post prompted the team to extend him — on a four-year, $68MM deal — as a runway for Jordan Love formed. Love’s first starter season featured only a one-game Bakhtiari cameo, leaving Jenkins as the team’s veteran presence up front. After Jon Runyan Jr. left in 2024, the Pack continued to field a young O-line around Jenkins, who has now seen the guaranteed money on his contract run out.

The Packers regularly refrain from post-Year 1 salary guarantees on non-QB contracts; they have Jenkins tied to a nonguaranteed $11.7MM base salary this season. He will count $17.6MM against Green Bay’s cap. This will be a situation to monitor, especially as the Packers continue to navigate the Jaire Alexander issue, and Jenkins’ contract will likely need to be adjusted before 2026. He is due to count $24.8MM on Green Bay’s cap sheet next year.

While four guards are tied to $20MM-per-year contracts, the center market only features one player (Creed Humphrey) earning more than $14MM per year. The All-Pro Chiefs snapper is at $18MM AAV. Jenkins, 29, would likely not be amenable to a discount based on agreeing to help the team regarding a position switch. An organizational hesitancy to pay players post-30 also may factor into a true Jenkins standoff, per Wilde, who adds the Mississippi State alum could become a 2026 release candidate if the center move does not go smoothly.

Another factor that could conceivably be affecting this Jenkins push would be the Packers giving more money to a less proven outside addition (free agent Aaron Banks); the ex-49ers starter is now on a four-year, $77MM agreement. Banks could operate opposite 2024 first-rounder Jordan Morgan, though the latter is first expected to compete with Rasheed Walker at left tackle. A “best five” scenario, though, could see a Walker-Banks-Jenkins-Morgan-Zach Tom configuration.

It will first be interesting to see if Jenkins will threaten a holdout or if he changes course to avoid a center move, especially as the center market pales in comparison to where the guard salary landscape sits. Alexander may be Green Bay’s front-burner contract matter, but Jenkins’ is now one to monitor.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/14/25

May 14th, 2025 at 6:44pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Wednesday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: WR Jadon Janke

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

Tennessee Titans

Williams, who recently worked out for Houston without getting a contract, turned a workout with the Patriots into a roster spot for the summer. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, New England also worked out former Saints running back Jordan Mims, but Williams walked away with the deal.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/12/25

May 12th, 2025 at 9:56pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest minor moves from around the NFL:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

  • Signed: CB Jeremiah Walker
  • Placed on Exempt/International Player list: P Tory Taylor

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: LB Jordan Turner, WR Kyrese White, LS Zach Triner, TE Cole Fotheringham
  • Waived: CB Kendall Bohler, LB K.J. Cloyd, NT Christian Dowell, TE Thomas Yassmin
  • Placed on Exempt/International Player list: P Jeremy Crawshaw

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: QB Taylor Elgersma
  • Released: OL Marquis Hayes

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: C Mose Vavao
  • Waived: DT Joe Evans

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: WR Dalevon Campbell, LB Kana’i Mauga
  • Waived: OL Bucky Williams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Signed: DT Isaiah Iton, G Mehki Butler, DT Wilfried Pene
  • Waived: OT Cole Birdow

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

  • Signed: CB T.J. Moore
  • Waived: DB R.J. Delancey, DB Tommy McCormick

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

  • Signed: TE Drake Dabney,WR TJ Sheffield
  • Waived: CB Virgil Lemons, S Jerrin Thompson

Hoyland converted 79.3% of his field goal attempts for the Wyoming Cowboys across the last five years. He was ultra-consistent on extra points with 147 makes on 148 tries. Hoyland will compete with sixth-round pick Tyler Loop for the Ravens’ kicking job after the team released Justin Tucker.

Sheffield brings some much-needed experience to the Dolphins’ cornerback room, though he hasn’t started since 2020. He could provide crucial veteran depth in Miami, especially if Jalen Ramsey is traded.

Elgersma was the starting quarterback at Wilfried Laurier University in Ontario, Canada, for the last three years. In 2024, he won the Hec Crighton Trophy – the Canadian equivalent to the Heisman – and earned an invitation to the Senior Bowl, the first-ever for a Canadian QB. Elgersma was drafted in the second round of the 2025 CFL Draft by the Winnepeg Blue Bombers, but a successful tryout with the Packers will give him a chance at making an NFL roster.

NFL Minor Transactions: 5/7/25

May 7th, 2025 at 9:05pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor moves in the NFL:

Baltimore Ravens

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: QB Taylor Elgersma

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Tennessee Titans

Though the Ravens and Packers have both already announced their undrafted free agent rookie class signings, both teams added an additional name to their groups today via rookie minicamp tryouts.

Martin, a smaller defensive back with impressive speed, transferred to Louisiana after two years at Youngstown State. He became a full-time starter for the Ragin’ Cajuns in 2023, tallying 109 total tackles, three interceptions, and 13 passes defensed during his two seasons in the starting lineup.

Coming out of Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, CAN, Elgersma went undrafted in the NFL draft but was selected in the second round of the 2025 draft for the Canadian Football League. He was also invited for a rookie minicamp tryout in Buffalo but will no longer attend after turning his Green Bay invite into a roster spot.

NFL Minor Transactions: 5/5/25

May 5th, 2025 at 7:55pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Rams

Josiah Deguara brings 65 games of experience to Arizona, with the majority of those appearances coming during his four seasons with the Packers. While he’s had a consistent special teams role in recent years, he’s also managed to contribute offensively. This includes a 2021 campaign where he hauled in 25 catches and two touchdowns with Aaron Rodgers as his QB.

The tight end is coming off a 15-game showing in Jacksonville where he was limited to only three catches all season. The veteran should compete for a role behind Trey McBride, with the Cardinals also rostering the likes of Tip Reiman and Elijah Higgins at the position.

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