Jason Kelce has long been adored in Philadelphia.
Not only did he spend his entire 13-year NFL career with the Eagles, but he also helped guide the team to Super Bowl glory for the first time in 2017.
Kelce has long been a legend in Philly, and helped save the Tush Push this weekGettyKelce, a star center, stepped away from football in 2024, and watched his beloved Birds secure a second title from the sidelines earlier this year, when they stunned the punchless Kansas City Chiefs.
For all he did on the field, even in retirement, he has further cemented himself as an Eagles hero.
That’s because last week, Kelce gave Philly’s tush one last push.
The legendary center had become synonymous with the opinion-splitting play, which sees quarterback Jalen Hurts being pushed in the back by his offensive lineman in an attempt to secure a down or reach the endzone.
Kelce was the first to perfect the art of the ‘Tush Push,’ and Philly have continued to use it in his retirement, running the play a number of times en-route to their second Super Bowl triumph.
Ahead of the 2025 season, there was serious suggestion the ‘painful’ play was on the brink of being banned, with owners taking a vote on its future a few days ago.
Kelce was previously said to have shouted the same X-rated, three-word message, every time the Eagles ran the play, which was actually inspired by a Scottish rugby hero.
Speaking to brother Travis recently, Jason revealed Philly were working with a ‘Scottish guy’ to gain a rugby outlook on the ‘Brotherly Shove’.
He was talking about Richie Gray, who has won 79 caps for his country to date.
Eagles’ offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland wanted Gray’s opinion on how a defense might seek to stop the Tush Push, but was met with a simple answer, as Kelce recalled.
The Eagles ran the Tush Push en-route to Super Bowl gloryGetty“He says ‘Coach, there is nothing you can do to stop it, it’s organised mass!'” Jason said on the New Heights podcast.
While Gray has argued the Tush Push belongs on the football field and does not hold too many similarities to a rugby scrum, he began lending his expertise to NFL coaches after a stint with the Springboks, and remains tight lipped on the intricacies behind it.
Speculation from league sources claimed the Tush Push was about to become history on Wednesday, but in the end, only 22 teams cast a vote in favor of the ban, two short of the 75 percent threshold required.
The play lives on, and that was likely in part down to Kelce himself.
Last week, the former O-lineman touched down Minneapolis to attend the NFL owners meeting, where he lobbied to save the Tush Push and set the record straight around himself and the play.
In recent months, speculation had suggested that the play contributed to Kelce’s retirement, but that simply wasn’t the case.
Kelce was the first to perfect the art of the Tush Push with QB HurtsGetty“There was some things said at the last owners meeting. Some of the owners and coaches hinted that the reason I stopped playing was because of the Tush Push and that I got hurt on the Tush Push frequently,” he told brother Travis.
“I’m just going to answer any questions people have about my partaking in this play. I don’t care whether it gets banned or not.
“I think that at the end of the day, this is why you vote on things.
“And if they vote to ban the Tush Push, the Eagles are still going to run quarterback sneak at a very high percentage.
“I’ll tell you this right now. I’ll come out of retirement today if you tell me all I’ve got to do is run 80 Tush Pushes to play in the NFL.
“I’ll do that gladly. It’ll be the easiest job in the world and it’ll be like 80 or something snaps.”
According to a report from The Athletic, Kelce echoed that message as he addressed NFL owners in Minnesota.
“He wasn’t loud and animated, instead offering his expertise as an All-Pro center and arguing for why the play should remain in the game,” Dianna Russini’s article reads.
Kelce has lobbied to save the Tush Push in recent daysGetty“He told the room: ‘If I could run 60 tush pushes a game, I’d come back.’”
The Green Bay Packers, who initially put forward the proposal to ban the play, needed 24 votes for it to pass.
But 10 teams, including the likes of the Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and New York Jets, did not support it.
The Eagles quickly took to social media to celebrate the news, delighted that Hurts and Co. can ‘Push On’ in the NFL next season.
The Eagles celebrated the survival of their play by urging players to ‘Push On’Philadelphia EaglesMany fans, meanwhile, praised Kelce for his efforts to save the play.
“Big man speaks from the heart,” one fan wrote on X.
“Jason Kelce really is a Philadelphia hero,” another said.
“Jason moving mountains with this one,” a third wrote, while a fourth fan concluded: “Will always be a legend.”
The Eagles will continue to run the Tush Push thanks to Kelce’s workGettyAs a Super Bowl winner and Tush Push savoir, an Eagles icon like Kelce will forever be welcome in Philly.
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