Despite the anger about another year of the tush push and the debate it already has sparked this season, the controversial play might not be going anywhere.

League sources told ESPN that there are no assurances that the tush push issue will be brought up for conversation or a vote by the NFL this offseason.

One source told ESPN that, after the hotly contested conversation the play raised last offseason and the emotions it aroused, he believes the issue needs to be tabled for a year before it could be raised again.

There also is the practicality of another attempt to ban the play. Former Green Bay Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy authored the proposal to ban the tush push this past offseason, but he retired in July, once he reached the organization’s mandatory retirement age of 70.

The proposal to ban the tush push got 22 votes last spring, but it needed 24 to pass.

A new proposal to ban the play would need a new author, more support, and more votes. One source told ESPN that he didn’t know whether that could or would happen, adding that there has been no movement to make it happen, at least this early in the year.

Criticism of the play could eventually prompt a team to draft a new tush push ban proposal later this season, but that is not the case as the NFL enters its third Sunday of the season. And regardless of whether the league votes on a new proposal, the tush push is here to stay this season.

The tush push has come under renewed scrutiny after the Philadelphia Eagles used the play six times in their victory last Sunday over the Kansas City Chiefs. The NFL instructed officials this week to call the play “tight” going forward, and also announced that Philadelphia should have been flagged for at least one false start when it used the tush push last Sunday.

The reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles have defended their use of the play in recent days. Left tackle Jordan Mailata ripped critics who used the tush push “as an excuse to why we won the game” during a radio interview Tuesday with 94 WIP in Philadelphia.

One day later, center Cam Jurgens said the Eagles are “not trying to worry about what other teams or people are saying.”

“We’re trying to worry about what we’re doing in here,” Jurgens said. “If the league wants to come down and say something and make an emphasis with the rules, we’re going to take that into account. But it’s the same thing going forward — playing Eagle football.”

Critics of the tush push have argued that it’s a dangerous play, but there wasn’t enough injury data to ban it for safety concerns.

The Eagles (2-0) have mastered the tush push in short-yardage situations, converting the play 96.6% of the time in fourth-and-1 scenarios since 2022.

Former Eagles center Jason Kelce, who defended the tush push and gave a detailed presentation to NFL owners last spring, said he believes that the rekindled criticism will lead to the play being banned.

“I think the play is done,” Kelce said Friday during an interview with WIP. “I think that there’s a lot of people within the league, at multiple levels, that want the play to be gone, which is fine.

“I think [the Eagles] will still go back to running quarterback sneak, and I’m sure they’ll figure out ways to be successful. I’m not really that concerned with it, to be very candid.”

The Athletic reported earlier Saturday that there is momentum around the league to ban the play next offseason.

But as Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast, my friends!” Despite the building frustration with the play, there isn’t meaningful opposition that could result in it being banned.

ESPN’s Tim McManus and The Associated Press contributed to this report.