Eagles have filed for a trademark on the ‘Brotherly Shove’

We’ve seen the Eagles’ variation of the quarterback sneak, known as the “Brotherly Shove,” plenty the last few seasons. But, soon, it could be coming to official team merchandise.

That is, if things at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office go the Birds’ way.

The Eagles last week filed a trademark application with the office for the phrase Brotherly Shove to be used on items including shirts, shorts, jackets, sweatshirts, jerseys, and hats.

Trademark lawyer Josh Gerben, of law firm Gerben Perrott, first reported the application, filed Oct. 10, on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The application is awaiting review, the patent office’s website indicates. And if the Birds win out, the trademark would mean that only the Eagles could use the term on merchandise, but would not prevent other teams from deploying the Brotherly Shove play itself during games.

Known more generically as the “tush push,” the Brotherly Shove involves offensive players at his rear pushing quarterback Jalen Hurts forward soon after the play begins. It often results in touchdowns or first downs for the Eagles, and, at least recently, it has not been successfully adopted or replicated by other teams.

As a result, the Eagles are facing increasing criticism over the maneuver, with some detractors calling a kind of “cheat code” the team employs too often. The Birds might use it multiple times a game, of course — last season, the team tried it 41 times and got a touchdown or first down on 37 of those attempts.

So, the Brotherly Shove works. And the Birds appear to be taking those criticisms in stride.

“We’re really successful at at it,” Eagles center Jason Kelce said of the play earlier this month. “So, obviously, teams are doing everything they can to try to stop it and replicate it. It’s a sign that we’re doing something right when people are complaining about it.”

The play has long been controversial in the NFL, which for the 2005 season removed language from its rulebook that had prohibited. And now, amid the Eagles’ successful use of the Brotherly Shove, the league is planning on looking at injury data related to it, so it might end up being banned once again.

But, as intellectual property law group Mandour & Associates points out, any potential ban on the play wouldn’t impact the Eagles’ attempt to trademark the phrase. So, even if the Birds end up not being able to do it in games, you’d still be able to wear it on your sleeve.

The Eagles play the Miami Dolphins at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday. That game comes following a 20-14 loss to the New York Jets during which the Birds didn’t attempt to run the Brotherly Shove even once.

We know what we’ll be looking out for on Sunday. And it isn’t a T-shirt.