The NFL owners failed to pass a ban on the Philadelphia Eagles’ controversial quarterback-sneak, falling two votes shy of passing the rule change on Wednesday. It ensures that the play will live for at least another season, something the Eagles have been celebrating ever since.
Barkley, on the other hand, appears to understand that it’s good for the team but bad for his season stats. The running back routinely lost out on touchdown-scoring opportunities to Jalen Hurts and the ‘tush push’ when the Eagles were at the one-yard line.
During an appearance on the ‘Exciting Mics’ podcast with teammates Cooper DeJean and Reed Blankenship, Barkley discussed that and also offered his thoughts on the play. The episode released Thursday was recorded before the owners’ voted.
‘I think it’s soft, to be honest,’ Barkley said. ‘Everybody can do it. It’s not a play that we only can do. We happen to have one of the best and biggest O-lines, and Jalen Hurts can squat 600 pounds. That’s not our fault.’
The reigning offensive player of the year turned his attention to the other teams across the league that have tried, and failed, to replicate the Eagles’ success.
‘Josh Allen is super big, they’re not successful with it,’ Barkley continued. ‘Lamar Jackson is one of the best running quarterbacks of all-time, they’re not successful with it. So it’s not something that everyone can’t do. Them trying to eliminate it, I think that’s kind of lame.’
There were 10 teams that voted to keep the ‘tush push’ – nine if you exclude the Eagles. Of those nine teams, seven play in the AFC. Barkley acknowledged that the biggest push for a ban came from teams that Philadelphia has to compete against more often.
‘And the teams that want to get rid of it are the teams that gotta see us two or three times a year,’ he said.
Barkley pointed out that he could understand passing a ban if there was a health risk for players. He suggested the league would have to ban the quarterback sneak in general if that were the case, since the ‘tush push’ is another version of the play.
DeJean and Blankenship presented Barkley with the idea of crafting an elevator pitch for NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell. The running back, like he would during a game, took that opportunity to change directions and focus on a bigger issue, in his mind.
‘Everybody can do it, there’s no health issue and why we talking about the tush push, let’s make sure everybody’s contract is guaranteed,’ Barkley said.
He added that baseball and basketball players have guaranteed deals, something the NFL doesn’t.
‘We play the hardest sport of all of them,’ Barkley said. ‘Not saying like technical wise, but physicality wise. There’s no reason why we put our bodies on the line, our minds, our brains on the line. It should be fully guaranteed, in my opinion.’
The trio proceeded to talk about the scheduling side of things, with games taking place on Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday throughout the season which leads to short weeks and limited recovery time.
As the NFL eyes an 18-game schedule and 16 international games across the league each year, the discussion surrounding player safety and contract value figure should only ramp up over time.
The current NFL collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is set to expire in March 2031. If and when the players decide to take that fight to the owners, it should be an explosive battle.
Especially now that a star player like Barkley is on the record endorsing the change.