NFL owners meeting analysis: 6 things to know, including rule change proposals

NFL owners, executives and coaches will descend upon Phoenix, Arizona from March 29-31 for their annual owners meeting. Playing rules, bylaws and resolution proposals will be discussed and some could be implemented ahead of the 2026 NFL season. The owners meetings also features media availability for NFC coaches on Monday and AFC coaches on Tuesday.

The meeting concludes on Tuesday with a scheduled press conference with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. USA TODAY Sports will be on the ground for this year’s meeting at the Arizona Biltmore. Here are intriguing storylines to watch: NFL trying to avert replacement ref chaos Remember the replacement official fiasco that was a blackeye for the NFL in 2012?

Brace yourself for the possibility of a repeat episode. The NFL Referees Association’s CBA is set to expire on May 31, and the NFL will hire replacement refs if a work stoppage occurs. Negotiations between the league and the NFLRA broke down on March 25, less than a day into a planned two-day bargaining session.

In preparation for a work stoppage, the NFL’s competition committee submitted a proposal to allow the NFL officiating department (the league’s command center in New York) to correct clear and obvious misses made by on-field officials that impact the game. The proposal is for one year only in the event there is a work stoppage involving game officials represented by the NFLRA. “We have many more tools in the toolbox, because replay assist already allows us to do things that we never could do in 2012 and review a ton of plays – scoring plays, turnovers, all those things – and so for us, this was just another bucket we wanted to put in there in case we have to operate under that set of circumstances,” Atlanta Falcons CEO and competition committee chairman Rich McKay said.