ESPN’s Kevin Siefert reports labor negotiations between the NFL and NFL Referees Association broke off “earlier than scheduled” this week.

26 March 2026

The NFLRA opened the session with a counterproposal and the NFL rejected it and unilaterally left the bargaining table despite talks that were supposed to last for two days. Combine this with the NFL Competition Committee sneaking a proposal on that lets New York unilaterally correct officials in the event of a labor stoppage — including throwing flags on to the field from New York — and you can see that the groundwork for a lockout is clearly being established. The league is reportedly hoping to move annual bonus money toward “high-performing officials” and increase the probationary period for new officials from three years to four. The current labor agreement expires in May. There is, of course, still time for both sides to come back to the table. But the current tenor of negotiations is not looking promising.