If you thought the officiating was bad before, buckle up, because the NFL is now actively preparing to replace its officials entirely.
NFL Owners “Alarmed” as Replacement Ref Preparations Begin
According to a report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday, NFL owners are “alarmed” by the state of negotiations with the NFL Referees Association and have authorized staff members to begin hiring and onboarding replacement officials in the coming weeks. Training of replacement officials is set to begin May 1, which effectively gives both sides about a month to get something done before the situation hardens considerably. As one source put it, once that process starts, “the opportunity to reach an agreement with our current union becomes a bigger challenge, just from simple economics.”
The CBA with the NFLRA expires May 31, and the gaps between the two sides sound significant. According to Schefter, the NFL has offered a six-year deal with annual raises averaging 6.45%, with the average official earning $385,000 in 2025.
Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesBut the money isn’t the only sticking point. The league has also pushed for several fundamental changes to officials’ job structure, which the NFLRA has largely resisted, including extending probationary periods for new officials, adding required training for lower performers, and shifting playoff assignments away from seniority toward performance-based criteria.
“The owners are alarmed that this negotiation has been as challenging as it’s been,” one source told Schefter. “They are alarmed that the union has resisted the performance and accountability measures.”
One source was even more blunt about the league’s expectations: “We are so close to expiration and so far apart on economics, that unless an act of God gets involved…” The sentence didn’t need finishing.
The league is clearly trying not to repeat 2012, when a lockout produced one of the most disastrous stretches of officiating in modern NFL history, punctuated by the infamous Fail Mary (the original one, not the Bears version from two seasons ago).
© Rick Wood / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesAccording to Schefter, a league source said the mistake that year was waiting until July to prepare for replacement officials, calling it “destined to be a challenge to succeed.” This time, they’re moving earlier and with more urgency. Whether that produces a deal or just better-prepared scabs remains to be seen.
Sean McVay Comes to Phoenix Ready to Talk
Sean McVay apparently didn’t get the memo about keeping things close to the vest, and honestly, good for him.
The Rams head coach was unusually forthcoming at the Annual League Meeting in Phoenix on Monday, dropping a pair of notable admissions in the same breath. First, on the backup quarterback situation behind a returning MVP Matthew Stafford: McVay told reporters the Rams are weighing both Jimmy Garoppolo and Kirk Cousins for the role, a candid acknowledgment about two players neither he nor the team currently has under contract.
“Hey, I’d love to have Jimmy Garoppolo back with us,” McVay said (via NFL.com). “Is there an opportunity to explore, if it’s not Jimmy, (like) Kirk Cousins? Of course. I’d love to be able to see what that looks like. So those are two guys we’ve talked about.”
McVay and Cousins have history. McVay served as Cousins’s offensive coordinator in Washington from 2014 to 2016, and the familiarity clearly hasn’t faded.
“Those are things that we’re very interested in possibly exploring,” McVay added. “He’s a guy that I have familiarity with, history, and a lot of reverence for.”
Matt Krohn-Imagn ImagesThen came the Davante Adams reveal. McVay acknowledged the Rams considered shopping Adams this offseason but ultimately decided against it. Not exactly the kind of thing most coaches volunteer unprompted, especially for a player who caught 60 passes for 789 yards and a league-leading 14 receiving touchdowns in 14 games last season.
“If we felt like it was best for our team, we would have done that,” McVay said. “But we didn’t think it was best for our team, so excited to be able to move forward with him.” McVay also noted he spoke directly with Adams about the trade discussions, saying he believes in keeping players informed.
The Rams have Super Bowl aspirations in 2026. Whether broadcasting your offseason deliberations is the savviest approach is debatable, but at minimum, it makes for a good Monday in Phoenix.
Extra Points
Check out a new 2026 NFL Mock Draft with BN’s Matt Rooney. Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders will switch to No. 2 next season. Sanders’ No. 2, which he wore in college, is retired at the University of Colorado and will be his NFL jersey number after he wore No. 12 during his rookie season in Cleveland. Clemson cornerback (and projected first-round pick) Avieon Terrell aggravated his hamstring injury today at a private pro day at the university.Clemson CB Avieon Terrell, a projected first-round pick in next month’s draft, aggravated his hamstring injury today on the first run of his private pro day at Clemson. t.co/R0JccTJG5M pic.twitter.com/bpwKA5XExb
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 30, 2026 The Cleveland Browns withdrew their rules change proposal that would have allowed teams to trade draft picks up to five years in advance, rather than the current three. Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid shares the latest on quarterback Patrick Mahomes:“He’s doing great. He spends a ton of time in the building. … He’s in there for seven hours a day. It’s showing, the progress. Now, to tell you a timeline? I mean, I know what he’s striving for. We’ll just see where it goes from there.”
ICYMI: K.C. traded for former Bears QB1 Justin Fields, sending a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Jets to complete the deal. John Lynch isn’t buying the electrical substation injury talk:49ers GM John Lynch said the electrical substation injury conspiracy theory is a “big nothing burger.”Story via @nwagoner: t.co/5SQKJ7JGRQ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 29, 2026 More Browns stuff … this time from GM Andrew Berry on speculation that a recent modification to Myles Garrett’s contract could be a precursor to a trade (spoiler: it’s not):#Browns GM Andrew Berry confirms they’re not trading Myles Garrett after the contract revisions: pic.twitter.com/mstIQeny5c
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) March 29, 2026Hence then, the article about around the nfl replacement refs candid sean mcvay more was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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