ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reports the meeting between the NFL and NFLRA “was productive and there is an expectation for continued discussions.”

10 April 2026

In the most recent meeting between the league and the NFLRA, “several owners” joined the league’s negotiating team, per Seifert. The league and the NFLRA continue to work toward hammering out a deal before the current deal expires on May 31st. The league is already laying the groundwork for replacement referees should a deal not be reached in time before the start of the season, and is expected to begin training said replacements in May if no deal is in place. Hopefully the latests meetings are a sign that things are moving in the right direction, but given the massive gap in salary demands between the league and NFLRA, we won’t rush to assume a deal is close to being signed.