The NFL Referees Association ratified a new seven-year collective bargaining agreement Friday with the NFL, concluding multiyear negotiations and eliminating the possibility of a work stoppage prior to the 2026 season, the report says.
Full details of the agreement were not immediately available, but the NFL tied the negotiations to a series of initiatives aimed at improving officiating. According to sources, the league will gain increased access to officials in the offseason for a formal training program during minicamps, training camps and joint practices, and it will develop a bench of officials while gaining greater latitude to use performance metrics for postseason assignments rather than relying on seniority.
Officials are due to receive significant raises from their 2025 salaries, the report says. Earlier this spring, the NFL offered a 10% increase in regular-season game fees and proposed increases of up to 30% for those who work the Super Bowl, per sources at the time. The league had sought to lengthen the probationary period for new officials from three years to four, but the agreement kept the probationary period at three years.
The sides had been negotiating for more than two years and reached a stalemate late this winter, the report says. The NFL began recruiting potential replacement officials from the college ranks in early March, and owners approved a set of rules that would have allowed league staff to assist in officiating games from NFL headquarters in New York. Those rules were contingent on the use of replacement officials and therefore will not apply to the 2026 season.
In a statement, NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent called the agreement “a testament to the joint commitment of the league and union to invest in and improve officiating.” NFLRA executive director Scott Green said the outcome provides “seven years of certainty for the league and the officials,” and NFLRA president Carl Cheffers added that the association sees the CBA as a partnership that allows officials to focus on preparing for the 2026 season.
