Amid ongoing plans to prepare for the possibility of replacement referees going into the 2026 season, the NFL and NFL Referees Association held labor negotiations in a meeting on Thursday.
Per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, several team owners were present at the meeting that was described as “productive” and talks are expected to continue with the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire on May 31.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero added that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who recently supported the league’s desire for expanded training and performance-based pay for referees, was among those in attendance at the meeting.
Seifert previously reported on March 25 that the NFL and NFLRA broke off labor talks earlier than expected due to an impasse in negotiations.
One of the reasons for the stalemate was the NFLRA’s refusal to engage on the topic of improving officiating performance by “redirecting annual bonus money toward high-performing officials and increasing the probationary period for new officials, which currently stands at three years.”
At the start of the annual league meetings on March 29, Seifert and Kalyn Kahler reported NFL owners gave authorization to staff members to begin the process of hiring and onboarding replacement officials in the coming weeks with May 1 targeted as a potential start date for training.
The list of potential replacement refs would include some college-level officials. League owners have also taken steps to add assistance in the event that replacement refs are needed for the 2026 season.
Among the rule changes passed during the league meetings was one that will allow the officiating department to “correct clear and obvious mistakes” made by on-field officials during games.
The rule was approved on a one-year basis to account for the possibility of a referee work stoppage. If the NFL and NFLRA agree to a new collective bargaining agreement before the season begins, the change won’t be necessary.
There have only been two referee work stoppages in NFL history. The first one occurred in 2001 when NFLRA officials missed one week during the regular season.
The most recent work stoppage was during the 2012 season when the CBA expired in May. Their lockout lasted three weeks into the regular season, highlighted by the infamous “Fail Mary” game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football.
Two days after the game, the NFL and NFLRA agreed to a labor deal. The 2026 NFL preseason kicks off on Aug. 6 with the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers playing in the Hall of Fame Game.
The regular season begins on Sept. 9 with the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks hosting a game against an opponent still to be determined.
