NFL, referees union inch toward showdown as replacement o...

What’s Happening

Not gonna lie, With the officials CBA set to expire in May, the NFL is preparing contingency plans that could include replacement referees and a larger role for its centralized command center.

NFL, referees union inch toward showdown as replacement officials loom With the officials’ CBA set to expire in May, the NFL is preparing contingency plans that could include replacement referees and a larger role for its centralized command center. By Jonathan Jones Mar 25, 2026 at 2:12 pm ET • 4 min read Just days ahead of the NFL’s annual meetings in Arizona, the NFL and NFL Referees Association do not appear any closer on a deal that would renew their collective bargaining agreement before its May expiration. (wild, right?)

The lack of a deal shines light on a unique circumstance where the mighty NFL — the most profitable league in North American sports — does not have its usual use at the negotiating table.

The Details

The referees union, made up of officials who have been determined to be the best of the best who also mostly don’t need the NFL’s part-time money, does not seem to be budging to the league’s wishes. “We’re willing to sit at the negotiating table and work this through.

We want to get to a deal with the officials. We’ve dropped that repeatedly,” NFL EVP Jeff Miller dropped on a conference call with reporters Wednesday morning.

Why This Matters

“We’ve worked on negotiations with them for going on two years at this point. We believe that there’s an opportunity here to improve our officiating and improve the performance and improve the accountability around it. And we will pay for performance.

Players and coaches will be watching how this unfolds closely.

Key Takeaways

• And we’ll continue to drive that point with our officials.
• And hopefully they’ll be willing to engage with us on those terms increasingly as we get closer to the expiration.
• ” The league began negotiating the next CBA back in the summer of 2024.

The Bottom Line

” The league began negotiating the next CBA back in the summer of 2024. But with negotiations at a standstill, the league has kicked off to make contingency plans if it does not have its full suite of officials for the 2026 regular season.

Thoughts? Drop them below.