By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: 18:00 BST, 8 May 2026 | Updated: 18:00 BST, 8 May 2026
The NFL and the NFL Referees Association have agreed on a new seven-year collective bargaining agreement that avoids a potential work stoppage and use of replacement officials.
The deal runs through the 2032 NFL season.
The league began the onboarding process for replacement officials last month because negotiations weren´t progressing. But they won´t be necessary.
The NFL´s collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Referees Association had been set to expire on May 31, and the two sides began negotiating in the summer of 2024.
Terms of the deal weren´t immediately known but the NFL increased its offer to a 6.45% annual growth rate in compensation over a six-year labor deal, two people with knowledge of the offer told The Associated Press in March.
A stalemate in 2012 resulted in a 110-day lockout and replacement referees were used.
FILE - Referee Land Clark annouces a penalty during the second half of an NFL football game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Atlanta Falcons Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
That led to several [high-profile mistakes](https://apnews.com/article/nfl-replacement-refs-fe8394bfb41cb0417cf5b8b358b44d05), including the Fail Mary when Russell Wilson completed a desperation pass to Golden Tate in the closing seconds to lift Seattle over Green Bay in a Monday night game. Tate pushed off so he should´ve been penalized for offensive pass interference. He appeared to wrestle the ball away from a Packers defender and was given credit for a catch even though two officials had called it differently.
There weren´t as many glaring errors when the NFL also used replacement officials for one week of exhibition games and the opening week in 2001 before the labor dispute was resolved shortly after 9/11, and the regular officials returned in time when the season resumed following a one-week break.
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AP NFL: [https://apnews.com/hub/nfl](https://apnews.com/hub/nfl)
FILE - A referee picks up a penalty flag during an NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard, File)
FILE - Field judge Alonzo Ramsey, left, back judge Greg Wilson and down judge Jerod Phillips confer during an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear, File)
FILE - Referee Shawn Smith, left, reviews a play during the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
FILE - Referee Shawn Hochuli (83) and back judge Jimmy Russell (82) review a play at the instant replay cart during an NFL football game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the New York Giants, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)