Sources say that negotiations between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association on a new collective bargaining agreement have advanced enough for the union to schedule a ratification vote for Thursday night.
The existing collective bargaining agreement between the two sides is set to expire on May 31. Approval by both the NFL and the NFLRA would remove the need for replacement officials this season.
Terms of the proposed agreement were not immediately available. The NFL declined to comment, and the NFL Referees Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Discussions between the parties have taken place for more than two years, according to the source information. A stalemate in negotiations occurred late this past winter.
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In early March, the NFL began recruiting potential replacement officials from the college ranks. That effort followed owners approving a broad set of rules that allowed league staff members to assist officiating duties from NFL headquarters in New York City.
Those rules were established to reduce the kind of disruption that took place when replacement officials were used during a 2012 collective bargaining stalemate. However, the rules approved in March are connected to the possible use of replacement officials and will not apply to the 2026 season if full ratification is achieved by May 31.
The league’s negotiators aimed to use the expiration of the current agreement as a point to implement substantial structural modifications to officiating positions.
Among the items of interest to NFL owners were extending probationary periods for newly hired officials. They also sought to lessen the reliance on seniority in selecting postseason assignments.
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Additionally, they explored shortening the duration of the “dark period” that occurs for officials following the end of the football season.
The planned ratification vote for Thursday would mark the next step toward formalizing a new labor agreement. Both the timing of the vote and the reported progress in talks signaled movement toward an end to the lengthy negotiations.
If the agreement gains approval by the indicated date, it would align with the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement on May 31. That timing could ensure continuity in the officiating workforce as discussions come to a formal conclusion.
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