The NFL reached an agreement Wednesday on a new collective bargaining agreement with its replay officials, who had been working this season under the terms of an expired CBA, according to the NFL Referees Association.
The agreement is effective through May 2027.
Negotiations spanned more than eight months in part because the replay officials, who have a separate labor relationship with the league than its on-field officials, were given additional responsibilities under the new video assist program. This season, they can advise referees of clear mistakes in certain circumstances based on immediate video evidence, reducing the need for coaches to challenge those calls.
Moreover, some members of the replay staff could become candidates to serve as a sky judge, or in a similar role, if the NFL institutes one in the future. It was not immediately clear if the new CBA accounts for the possibility of that transition.