NFL Could Reportedly Make Rule Changes If New CBA Isn't Reached with Referees Association

The NFL's Competition Committee is reportedly considering "a number of rule changes" depending on how the league's ongoing conversations with the NFL Referees Association unfold.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that the league and NFLRA have made "little progress" even though they have discussed a new collective bargaining agreement for a year and a half.

As a result, the league is discussing potential rules changes such as "centralizing some of officiating functions in NY and expanding the use of technology" if there is no agreement in place.

In December, ESPN's Kalyn Kahler reported NFL vice president of football operations Troy Vincent and general counsel Larry Ferazani sent a memo to teams explaining that the current CBA with the referees expires in May, meaning the 2025 campaign was the final one on the existing deal.

That memo said the league had been "engaged in bargaining with the NFLRA to extend the current agreement since the summer of 2024, and to date, those discussions have been unsuccessful."

It also explained what the league was looking for in a new CBA, including a system to have only high-performing officials in the playoffs instead of rewarding seniority, further training for low-performing officials and creating an officiating practice squad of officials to "develop a deeper bench."

The league's dealing with officials was a major storyline during the 2012 campaign when there was an officiating lockout.

That lockout lasted three weeks into the season but eventually ended after the replacement officials struggled. In fact, the final game featuring replacement officials ended in the infamous "Fail Mary" that gave the Seattle Seahawks a controversial win over the Green Bay Packers.

Two different officials made different calls on Russell Wilson's Hail Mary pass at the end of the game, although the pass was eventually ruled a touchdown after extensive deliberation.

With a new CBA hanging in the balance, the league at least has more technology at its disposal than it did then to help in certain situations if it cannot come to terms on a new agreement.

And Rapoport's report suggests it is considering those options at this point of the offseason.