Philadelphia Eagles’ Nick Sirianni jokes about tush push vote urges former coaches to back him

The future of the Philadelphia Eagles’ infamous “tush push” is on the line this week at the NFL owners' meetings, with a vote set to determine whether the play will be banned. The Green Bay Packers proposed the rule change, needing 24 of 32 teams to agree in order to outlaw Philly’s nearly unstoppable short-yardage weapon. As the decision looms, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is making light of the situation—jokingly calling on his former assistants, now head coaches elsewhere, to back him up. With votes hanging in the balance, Sirianni’s playful lobbying shows just how much this play means to Philadelphia.

Nick Sirianni, who has been vocal in defending the play against critics, took a humorous approach when discussing the upcoming vote. Speaking to NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo on Sunday, Sirianni said he expects support from former Eagles assistants Jonathan Gannon, Shane Steichen, and Kellen Moore—all of whom were part of his staff before landing head coaching jobs around the league.
"We’ll see how it goes," Sirianni said. "All I will say about it is [Jonathan] Gannon, [Shane] Steichen and [Kellen] Moore better vote for it. They are in the [head coach] position right now because of that play. So all three, I better have those three votes right there and the Eagles’ vote. I at least know we have four."

Gannon, now leading the Arizona Cardinals, was the Eagles' defensive coordinator before taking his current job in 2023. Steichen, who served as Sirianni’s offensive coordinator, became the Indianapolis Colts' head coach the same year. Moore, the most recent departure, took over as the New Orleans Saints' head coach in February after running the Eagles' offense last season.
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Sirianni has previously criticized the movement to ban the play, arguing that it’s a fundamental part of football rather than an unfair advantage. Now, he's leaning into the debate with humor, hoping his former colleagues stand by him. Whether his lighthearted pitch will sway the vote remains to be seen, but one thing is certain—the Eagles don’t want to lose the play that has helped define their offense.