Closing the gap between the level of play on the field and the level of refereeing remains a priority.
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The league is pushing for a performance-based officiating model, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, who, along with ESPN’s Adam Schefter, reported that NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent informed teams Wednesday that collective bargaining between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association ends in May.
Pelissero noted that the expiration date is May 31 and the next trading session date is December 30. He also said Vincent told the owners that talks about a new deal have been unsuccessful at this point.
Both Pelissero and Schefter reported that the league views this negotiation period as an opportunity to improve officiating, including through greater accessibility and accountability, pending a union agreement.
Pelissero outlined the NFL’s areas of focus in a new collective bargaining agreement with officials:
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Link compensation to performance
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Greater flexibility to assign postseason assignments to top-performing referees.
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Access to more practice representatives.
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Extended probationary period to evaluate new game officials and flexibility to eliminate those who perform poorly.
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Shorten the “dead period” that currently runs from the Super Bowl to May 15
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Increase the number of game officials to develop a deeper bench
As for that dead period, Schefter explained that, at the moment, the NFL cannot talk to officials from the day after the Super Bowl until May 15.
The league is seeking year-round access to referees, according to Schefter.
While it appears the NFL will keep its foot on the accelerator, there is also the importance of reaching some type of agreement before the start of next season.
After all, the league doesn’t want another replacement referee situation. The most recent occurred in 2012, when the lockout of NFL officials followed the previous season’s lockout of NFL players.
In that case, replacement referees were used for three weeks of the regular season, a stretch that culminated with the infamous “Fail Mary,” whose ruling incorrectly rewarded the Seattle Seahawks with a game-winning touchdown reception against the Green Bay Packers on “Monday Night Football.”