There won’t be scab referees.
The NFL and the NFL Referees Association (NFLFA) agreed to a new seven-year collective bargaining agreement (CBA), ahead of the May 31 deadline, the parties announced.
Officials approved the new deal, which runs through the 2032 season, by a 116-4 measure, per NFL Network, and the new CBA reportedly includes pay raises, provisions for more access to officials in the offseason to allow for a new training program and creating a set of reserve officials.
The new pact also has “greater latitude” to give priority postseason assignments to referees who grade the best rather than based on seniority, per ESPN.
“It was a mutual and determined effort, and the outcome is seven years of certainty for the league and the officials,” NFLRA executive director Scott Green said in the statement. “We appreciate Troy Vincent and [lead negotiator] Larry Ferazani and their staff for recognizing that working together to find solutions is the best course of action to reach a long-term agreement.”
For all the ado about the referees — and there are plenty — a new deal beats the alternatives of backup referees having to handle games.
The NFL had referees lockouts for one game in 2001 and three weeks in 2012, with the latter including the infamous “Fail Mary” debacle between the Packers and Seahawks.
What should have been a game-ending interception for the Packers on a “Hail Mary” was instead ruled a touchdown catch to give the Seahawks a shocking win on “Monday Night Football” on Sept. 24, 2012.
Two days later, the NFLRA and and the NFL had a new deal.
This new agreement has what ESPN labeled “significant” raises from 2025, with the NFL previously offering a 10-percent boost for the regular season and up to a 30-percent for the Super Bowl.
One detail that reportedly did not change is the probationary period, staying at three years despite the NFL hoping to pus hit to four.
The sides negotiated for more than two years, per ESPN.
The press release said the new agreement covers a “wide range of issues including economics, performance and accountability.”
“This agreement is a testament to the joint commitment of the league and union to invest in and improve officiating,” Vincent, the NFL executive vice president of football operations, wrote in the statement.
“It also speaks to the game officials’ relentless pursuit of improvement and officiating excellence. We look forward to working together for the betterment of the game.”
