NFL, NFL Referees Association reportedly ratify new CBA; league won't need replacement officials during 2026 season

Less than a month before the most recent collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association (NFLRA) was set to expire, the two sides ratified a new CBA on Friday, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The deal covers the next seven years, taking the agreement through the 2032 season. The NFL Referees Association ratified a seven-year labor deal with the NFL through the 2032 season.

The agreement includes increased access to officials in the offseason, development of a “bench” of officials and a new formal training program. pic. twitter.

com/BZoDfn7kxi — Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 8, 2026 News broke Tuesday that the NFLRA had scheduled a ratification vote for Friday. Shortly after that vote, it was announced by multiple sources that the ratification passed. The NFL and NFLRA have finally reached common ground after years-long negotiations stalled this past winter and as the May 31 deadline neared .

With a new CBA in place, the NFL can scrap a contingency plan that called for replacement officials and the enforcement of conditional replay-review rules that would have given NFL headquarters more in-game officiating authority. Rules, contingent on replacement officials being used, were approved by NFL owners this spring to give the staffers in the league’s New York City officiating command center the ability to consult with a game’s on-field replacement ref on an assortment of penalties, called and uncalled, as well as other administrative procedures, per ESPN . The NFL began recruiting replacement officials from the college ranks in early March, according to ESPN.