The NFL may have to turn to dreaded replacement referees for the 2026 season.
On Wednesday, the league began laying the groundwork to hire 150 alternate officials for games in the absence of its regular referees if a collective bargaining agreement cannot be reached with the officials union.
The approach is similar to how it handled the 2012 referee lockout, which lasted 110 days and only ended after multiple officiating controversies marred the first three weeks of the regular season. The current agreement expires at the end of May with "frustration mounting" as talks continue to bear no fruit, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Why the NFL and referees are at a CBA impasse
The issue that seems to be holding up an agreement boils down to accountability: The league wants to implement a performance-based model in which referees would be more accountable to their mistakes.
But the officials union, according to the league, is insisting on maintaining the original model agreed to in the 2019 ratification. In some cases, the NFL says the union wants to roll back some measures from that agreement. It's unclear which measures those are.
NFL referees have come under more and more scrutiny as instant replay continues to display to both the league and fans that controversial calls (some missed altogether) can be rectified through reviews. In fact, the league is considering a new rule that would allow replay officials to review plays where flags should've been thrown and assess penalties retroactively.
If that rule were adopted, it could provide more documented evidence of officials getting things wrong in real time and, therefore, increase calls for those officials to face consequences or at least face questions from the press — both things that are considered sacrilege by the referees union. Additionally, flexible playoff assignment schedules and the creation of a referee "practice squad" are also being discussed at the negotiating table.
The referee union may feel it has the upper hand in this struggle given how unpopular the replacement officials were in 2012.
"Frankly, I'm surprised they would even consider it after 2012," NFL Referees Association executive director Scott Green told ESPN.
The most memorable mistake made by those replacements was the infamous "Fail Mary", in which the Seattle Seahawks earned a 14-12 walk-off victory over the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football after the referees couldn't initially agree if a touchdown pass was caught or intercepted.
On this night 11 years ago: The "Fail Mary" happened.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 24, 2023
This was pure chaos.pic.twitter.com/BwVqfcfXv2
The league must be really confident in its negotiating position if it's willing to prepare a contingency plan that will immediately remind fans of these blunders.
According to reports, small college referees are being targeted for potential onboarding and training in April. If no collective bargaining agreement has been reached by then, training would continue through the summer and then visits to team training camps would be their first exposure ahead of the pre- and regular season.
Fans should be praying things don't get that far. The 2026 season is set up to be one of the most competitive in recent memory and besmirching it with mediocrity and unnecessary controversy is the last thing the game needs.