Report: NFLRA schedules ratification vote on new CBA
If the Collective Bargaining Agreement is approved, there will be no need for replacement officials.
The NFL has planned for using replacement officials in 2026, but it looks like they may not need to go that route. ESPN reports that talks between the NFL Referees Association and the league about a new Collective Bargaining Agreement have progressed to the point that the union has scheduled a ratification vote. That vote is scheduled for Thursday.
Tuesday's report about the vote comes a week after the NFL distributed crew assignments for the regular officials, which was seen as a positive sign for the direction talks were taking ahead of the expiration of the current CBA on May 31. The NFL began the onboarding process for replacement officials last month as the two sides continued to discuss a new agreement. They also approved a rule change in March that would allow for the expanded use of off-field league officials to correct mistakes made by replacement officials in games.
If the CBA passes, that rule will not be in place and the league's regular officials will be at work when the regular season gets underway in September.