NFL approves Eagles’ proposal to alter overtime rules (among other changes), but no vote on tush push
ESPN’s Adam Schefter was among the first to report Tuesday that league owners voted to approve an Eagles proposal to change the NFL’s regular season overtime rules.
NFL owners now have passed a rule that both teams will be allowed to possess the ball in overtime in the regular season.
The original proposal was for a 15 minute OT; that now has been amended to 10 minutes.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 1, 2025
As Schefter notes, the approved rule change slightly amended the Eagles original proposal, which would have aligned “the postseason and regular season overtime rules by granting both teams an opportunity to possess the ball regardless of the outcome of the first possession, subject to a 15-minute overtime period in the regular season.” The finalized rule provides for a ten-minute overtime, rather than the proposed 15.
But the heart of the proposal–allowing both teams an opportunity to possess the ball on offense–made it through the vote intact. Under the previous regular season rules, a team could win a game in OT if it scored a touchdown on its first OT drive. The other team’s offense would only possess the ball if it held the first team to a field goal or prevented it from scoring altogether.
Schefter reported additional rule changes adopted Tuesday morning. Owners voted to “expand the league’s replay-assist system,” and “the football now moves to the 35 after a touchback.” The latter change is intended to incentivize kickers to avoid putting the ball in the endzone on kickoffs.
With this touchback spot change, the NFL has been projecting an increase in the return rate from ~33% in 2024 to between 60%-70% in 2025. There are some downstream aspects that could come into play in terms of field position, scoring, game management when you add that many plays. https://t.co/Y9Ph9ZARKk
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) April 1, 2025
A Lions proposal to “eliminate an automatic first down as a penalty imposed for defensive holding and illegal contact” failed to pass. Additionally, a vote on whether to modify the rules around onside kicks was tabled until May.
Finally, the league did not vote on the Green Bay Packers’ controversial proposal to ban the tush push.
NFL owners have tabled the tush-push conversation. No decision about its future at this league meeting.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 1, 2025
The decision to table the tush push vote came after reports Tuesday that the proposed ban did not have enough support. The proposal could be tweaked, however, in advance of a potential May vote.
