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Kevin Seifert
Multiple Authors
Ongoing labor negotiations between the NFL and NFL Referees Association broke off earlier than scheduled this week as the sides were unable to make progress toward a new collective bargaining agreement, sources told ESPN.
Talks were scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, according to sources, but ended after Wednesday morning’s session.
The NFLRA’s collective bargaining agreement expires May 31, and concern about the distance between the sides has prompted the NFL to begin the process of vetting and hiring replacement officials for the 2026 season.
One source said Wednesday that the NFLRA refused to engage on one of the league’s priorities: to improve officiating performance.
NFLRA executive director Scott Green told ESPN that he made a counterproposal that the NFL rejected. Green did not provide details on the counterproposal but said: “We asked them to give us a response and they refused, as their lead negotiator said he was not authorized to do so at that point. They then got up and left.”
The meeting came one day after the NFL competition committee released a significant rule proposal that would centralize many in-game officiating responsibilities within the league’s New York City command center, if there is a work stoppage.
NFL officials are not full-time employees of the league. According to sources, the average NFL official last season earned about $350,000 annually as part of a multipronged compensation structure that includes game fees, bonuses, meeting fees, preparation fees and other benefits.
The NFL has offered a 10% increase in game fees across the board in the regular season and up to 30% for those who work the Super Bowl, sources said. The league is also seeking agreements to improve officiating performance, in part by redirecting annual bonus money toward high-performing officials and increasing the probationary period for new officials, which currently stands at three years.
The NFLRA is hoping to lower the probationary period, ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler has reported.
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