With the potential for a referee work stoppage next season, the NFL moved on Tuesday to alter its replay procedure for one year only “to correct clear and obvious” mistakes made by replacement referees during games.
The approved rule, adopted by the competition committee at the annual league meeting in Phoenix, was one of a handful of changes to the NFL rulebook for the 2026 season.
Other changes made by the competition committee included allowing the kicking team to declare an onside kick at any point in the game. The previous rule only allowed a team that was losing the game to attempt an onside kick.
REPORT: The NFL is preparing contingencies after the league’s negotiations with the referees union broke down, including hiring replacement officials, sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports’ @JoriEpstein.
Such replacement officials would not be able to step on the fields before June… pic.twitter.com/TgJ9STfepC
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 30, 2026
More on the NFL & replacement referees
Kickoffs into the end zone from the 50-yard line, after a penalty, will now be placed at the 20-yard line, instead of the 25.
Another new role will modify the receiving team’s alignment in the setup zone of a kickoff, while the league can now consult with on-field officials when considering ejections for flagrant acts that were either called or missed during play.
Changes to calls made by potential replacement officials allow designated members at the officiating command center to alter them. The move comes as the league is negotiating with the NFL Referees Association on a new collective bargaining agreement, with the current CBA set to expire at the end of May.
Changes can be made to both calls that were missed on the field and calls that were made but deemed incorrect.
In a 2012 game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks with replacement referees, the Seahawks won on a last-second pass to the end zone, where players from both teams were deemed to have simultaneous possession.
But the NFL later admitted that a Seahawks offensive pass-interference penalty was missed, one that would have given the Packers the victory.
After using replacement referees for the first two weeks of the 2012 season, the league ended the officials’ lockout two days after the Packers-Seahawks game.
–Field Level Media
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Upcoming NFL Offseason Schedule
Monday, March 9 – Wednesday, March 11 – Free agent negotiation period
Wednesday, March 11 – 2026 League Year begins & free agency opens
Sunday, March 29 – Wednesday, April 1 – NFL Annual League Meeting
Thursday, April 23 – Saturday, April 25 – 2026 NFL Draft
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