Andy Reid and Jason Kelce shared a hilarious “tush push” exchange as the Eagles’ signature play faces growing controversy across the NFL
22:09 ET, 06 Oct 2025Updated 22:11 ET, 06 Oct 2025
Andy Reid has coached the Kansas City Chiefs for 13 seasons(Image: Getty)
The Philadelphia Eagles’ tush push looks to be on its last leg despite Jason Kelce‘s best attempts to defend the play. Since its inception in 2021, the short-yardage tactic has been both ruthlessly effective and relentlessly polarizing.
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid further stirred the pot during a recent interview released ahead of his team’s Monday Night Football matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which the Chiefs prepared for by listening to Taylor Swift’s new album.
With Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Jason Kelce sitting down with the legendary coach and the conversation winding down, Jason said, “I don’t think we’ve got anything else, guys. I mean, unless you want to ask me anything, I don’t know.” Reid jumped in: “You missed the tush push?”
READ MORE: Erin Andrews issued public apology to Baker Mayfield after FOX interviewREAD MORE: Travis Kelce had valid reason to deny young Chiefs fan’s autograph request
Jason shot back, “Do I miss the tush push? I missed the result of the tush push.” Reid, grinning, delivered a veteran’s warning and a wink: “Too many more tush pushes and you might not be able to do this, brother.”
The exchange landed amid a fresh wave of criticism. Former NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino has conceded he’s “done with the tush push,” echoing voices who argue it’s uniquely difficult to officiate and edges too close to a gray area on early movement.
Meanwhile, Adam Schefter amplified the temperature around its future when he said, “I think it was on life support anyway. Frankly, I was surprised it wasn’t tossed last year,” adding, “I think it had something to do with the fact that the Eagles made a compelling case to keep it.”
Content cannot be displayed without consent
“They brought in Jason Kelce, they presented evidence that they didn’t believe that it posed any additional player safety health risks. And so, I was surprised it was kept last year. And now there’s been, again, a lot of negative conversation about it this year.”
Kelce’s rebuttal does not hinge on romance for an old Eagles staple; it hinges on first principles. He has repeatedly argued that the controversy is less about the “push” and more about pre-snap enforcement.
Last month, he put it plainly: “I love that the problem everyone has with the tush push this week has absolutely nothing to do with the actually pushing portion. Like banning the tush push doesn’t even stop what they have an issue with from the play this last week.”
The Eagles first used the “tush push” in 2021(Image: Getty)
Pressed further on officiating consistency, Kelce framed the fix as procedural rather than legislative: “The Eagles still could have done exactly what they did last week, with it being a regular QB sneak.”
“Officials being more stringent on players aligning in the neutral zone and false starts is the only way to stop what everyone has an issue with.”
“And I get it, there were at last a couple from the game that were too early, and should be called false starts. It is an extremely hard thing to officiate, and good players on both sides of the ball jump the snap and use the neutral zone to their advantage on multiple downs and plays throughout the game.
“Getting rid of the tush push will not stop the issue everyone is riled up about.”