'Frustration Is Mounting' with NFL in Contract Talks with NFL Referees Association, Reports Schefter

The NFL's negotiations with the NFL Referees Association are reportedly not progressing in a positive direction.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the talks are "said to not be in a good place," and a source told him that "frustration is mounting" among NFL executives and league owners.

The current agreement between the NFL and its referees is set to expire in May, meaning the possibility of using replacement officials is looming if a deal is not struck by the start of the preseason.

In December, ESPN's Kalyn Kahler published information from a league memo sent to NFL teams by NFL vice president of football operations Troy Vincent and general counsel Larry Ferazani regarding the state of discussions with the NFLRA.

Some of the main issues laid out in the memo included the league wanting only high-performing officials to benefit from the year-end bonus period, the desire for performance to be the deciding factor in postseason officiating assignments rather than seniority and more training and development for probationary and low-performing officials.

In the memo, the NFL declared that it "remained focused on implementing changes to the agreement in ways that will improve the performance of our game officials, increase accountability, and ensure that the highest-performing officials are officiating our highest profile games."

Per Schefter, the referees' union "wants to preserve the status quo or roll back in some cases the access the league has to work with the officials."

There have twice been referee lockouts that spilled over into the regular season, although both situations were resolved during the month of September.

In 2001, the NFL used replacement officials in Week 1 before striking a deal with the NFLRA.

The most infamous referee lockout occurred in 2012, and it saw the league utilize replacement refs for the first three weeks of the campaign.

Numerous mistakes occurred under the replacement officials, including the messy conclusion to a Week 3 Monday Night Football game between the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.

The Seahawks won the game on a Hail Mary caught by wide receiver Golden Tate. It was ruled a catch due to simultaneous possession with a defensive back, but there was a great deal of confusion before the call was made. The refs also missed a blatant offensive pass interference on Tate.

That play became known as the "Fail Mary," and it would prove to be the final game involving replacement officials, as a deal was subsequently struck between the NFL and NFLRA in time for Week 4.