It appears the “Barnyard” will live on.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last Wednesday that there will be no discussion about the “tush push” play at this week’s NFL meetings. “The play will be back in 2026,” Schefter wrote on social media.

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That’s good news for the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, who used their own version of the controversial short-yardage play to great success this past season.

The “tush push” – a glorified quarterback sneak where teammates line up in the backfield and push the QB forward – was popularized in recent years by the Philadelphia Eagles. With 6-foot-1, 223-pound quarterback Jalen Hurts under center, the Eagles converted 85% of their QB sneak attempts from 2022-24.

The Seahawks put their own twist on the play in 2025, using 6-foot-6, 251-pound tight end AJ Barner under center as the quarterback for “tush push” plays. Barner converted 10 of 11 short-yardage “tush push” attempts for Seattle this past season, all of which came on either third-and-1 or fourth-and-1.

The play’s success earned its own nickname – the “Barnyard” – and it was pivotal in solving the Seahawks’ short-yardage woes. In 2024, Seattle ranked 29th in the NFL with a 58% conversion rate (20 of 34) on third-and-1 or shorter and fourth-and-1 or shorter. In 2025, the Seahawks tied for ninth in the league at 72.2% (26 of 36) in those situations, according to Stathead.

The “tush push” was nearly outlawed last offseason. After the Eagles won the Super Bowl in February 2025, the Green Bay Packers authored a rule change proposal to prohibit offensive players from pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping or encircling a runner. The ban was supported 22-10 among the league’s 32 franchises, falling just two votes shy of passing.

But as Schefter reported, no rule change proposal involving the “tush push” is on the table this year.

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