PHOENIX – As the May 31st deadline for a new collective bargaining agreement between the National Football League and the NFL Referees Association (NFLRA) approaches, the league is taking proactive steps to mitigate potential disruption. NFL team owners are reportedly “alarmed” by the stalled negotiations and have authorized personnel to begin recruiting and training replacement referees in the coming weeks, sources within the league confirmed to Archysport.
The NFL initiated the process of compiling a list of potential officials from the collegiate ranks earlier this month. League owners are expected to approve a series of significant improvements to the replay system this week, designed to assist replacement referees during both preseason and regular season games. Training for these replacement officials is slated to begin on May 1st, according to a league source.
The move signals a significant escalation in the ongoing dispute. According to one source, initiating the recruitment of replacement referees “makes the opportunity to reach an agreement with our current union that much more challenging, simply due to economic issues.”
With roughly a month remaining before the current agreement expires, both sides face a significant gap in their proposals, encompassing economic concerns and the structure of referee work. The NFLRA’s executive director, Scott Green, did not respond to requests for comment.
The current collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFLRA is set to expire on May 31st. The league issued a directive to all clubs last week prohibiting public comments regarding the situation. However, sources present at meetings held this weekend at the Arizona Biltmore resort indicated a bleak outlook for reaching a resolution before replacement referees are brought on board.
One league source stated that the league office anticipates and is preparing for a lockout. “We are so close to expiration and so far apart economically that unless an act of God…,” the source said.
During the last lockout in 2012, another league source noted that the NFL’s mistake was waiting until July to begin preparing replacement referees. “Waiting for people to transition from the college level to the professional level and adapt to the pace of the game in such a short amount of time is destined to be complicated and unlikely to succeed,” the source explained. “We are not going to do that. There will be no panic, and we have begun preparations for the expiration of the agreement. We must do so. Otherwise, it would be a serious oversight.”
Sources indicate the NFL has offered the NFLRA a six-year agreement averaging annual salary increases of 6.45 percent. The average NFL referee earned $385,000 in 2025. The league has also pushed for several fundamental changes to the structure of referee work, which the NFLRA has largely resisted.
“The owners are alarmed that this negotiation has been so challenging,” one league source noted. “They are alarmed that the union has resisted measures of performance and accountability.”
These proposed measures include:
- Increasing the probationary period for new referees from three to five years.
- Shortening the “dead period” during the offseason to allow for more training, including requiring referees with low ratings to work spring football games to improve their performance.
- Reducing the seniority-based approach to assigning playoff games and replacing it primarily with performance-based assignments.
“We really want to follow the model, which is part of the DNA of the NFL, of paying for performance,” one of the sources stated. “You have to perform every day. The players do it, the coaches do it, the lawyers do it, the owners do it, and we continue trying to prove and improve ourselves.”
The potential for a work stoppage looms large over the NFL as the league prepares for the possibility of utilizing replacement referees. The situation remains fluid, and the coming weeks will be critical in determining whether a deal can be reached before the May 31st deadline. The NFL’s proactive approach to securing replacement officials suggests a growing expectation of a prolonged dispute, potentially impacting the 2026 NFL season.
The next key date is May 31st, the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement. All eyes will be on whether the NFL and the NFLRA can bridge the gap and avoid a disruption to the league’s operations. Stay tuned to Archysport for continuing coverage of this developing story.
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