NFL rule changes 2025: League to consider virtual measurement and potentially the 'Tush Push'

With the NFL offseason comes potential rule changes. Last year, we of course saw the move to the dynamic kickoff, as well as the league awarding a third challenge to a team following one successful challenge. We also saw the hip-drop tackle "outlawed," although it was more often fined after the fact than called on the field.

What rule changes could be coming down the line this year? First of all, the proposed changes have to be approved by 24 of the NFL's 32 owners to go into effect, and those votes could take place at the NFL's owners meeting next month in Palm Beach, Florida. Let's take a look at some of the issues being raised around the league.

Virtual measurement

The chain gang could become a thing of the past. Well, it will still be on the sidelines, but not the main authority when it comes to ruling first downs. According to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones, the NFL plans to recommend the use of virtual measurement as the primary way to determine first downs beginning in the 2025 regular season.

Sony Hawk-Eye's SkeleTRACK system is the future, and the NFL has been working with this technology since 2021. Jones actually detailed this a couple weeks ago at the Super Bowl. Check out his article, here.

"... A 14-camera system that specifically monitors more than two-dozen skeletal points on a player's body. That system, along with the chips in the footballs and the 18 other specific cameras strategically placed around the stadium, can all be combined to harvest a fully computerized model that potentially tracks where the ball is when players are down, if someone has achieved a first down or if they have scored."

'Tush Push'

One of the main takeaways from the NFL Scouting Combine is that other NFL teams still hate the Philadelphia Eagles' "Tush Push." The Green Bay Packers, who lost to the Eagles in the playoffs this year, issued a proposal to the league's competition committee to ban the special quarterback sneak, according to The Athletic.

"There is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less," Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy wrote on the Packers website. "I would like to see the league prohibit pushing or aiding the runner (QB) on this play. There used to be a rule prohibiting this, but it is no longer enforced because I believe it was thought to be too hard for the officials to see. The play is bad for the game, and we should go back to prohibiting the push of the runner. This would bring back the traditional QB sneak. That worked pretty well for Bart Starr and the Packers in the Ice Bowl."

The Packers aren't the only team against the "Tush Push," as Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said he's not a fan of it either, while Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott believes there's an injury risk associated with the play. Interestingly enough, CBS Sports' NFL insider Jonathan Jones reported the league's internal data on the "Tush Push" revealed there was a 0% injury rate when pushing tushes. Don't expect the NFL to outlaw the Eagles' special play this offseason.

Regular-season overtime rules

According to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones, the competition committee will look at adjusting the NFL's regular-season overtime rules, and potentially change the format to what we see in postseason overtime games. In the playoffs, overtime is a 15-minute period where EACH TEAM has the chance to possess the ball -- even if the team that receives the ball to begin overtime scores a touchdown.

In 2024, teams that won the coin toss in regular-season overtimes won 12 out of 16 games. There were just 11.6 plays per overtime in 2024, which was the second fewest in the past two decades.

Replay review

This may be the biggest change we see this offseason. Last year, the competition committee expanded replay assist to include objective input on roughing the passer, late hits out of bounds and intentional grounding. Could more be coming?

NFL executive Troy Vincent said in December that the competition committee will discuss expanding replay assist to include certain penalties such as face masks, per NFL Media. However, there is plenty to debate when it comes to this potential change. Are we going to allow penalties to be called by people not on the field? Then, the competition committee hasn't exactly appeared motivated to make -- should we call them -- subjective fouls, reviewable. Remember how it went when the league made pass interference reviewable in 2019? There is a lot to consider with this.