Kevin SeifertMar 25, 2026, 04:44 PM ETCloseKevin Seifert is a staff writer who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL at ESPN. Kevin has covered the NFL for over 20 years, joining ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Washington Times. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.Follow on XMultiple Authors
Ongoing labor negotiations between the NFL and NFL Referees Association broke off earlier than scheduled this week as the sides were unable to make progress toward a new collective bargaining agreement, sources told ESPN.
Talks were scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, according to sources, but ended after Wednesday morning’s session.
One source said Wednesday that the NFLRA refused to engage on one of the league’s priorities: to improve officiating performance.
NFLRA executive director Scott Green told ESPN that he made a counterproposal that the NFL rejected. Green did not provide details on the counterproposal but said: “We asked them to give us a response and they refused, as their lead negotiator said he was not authorized to do so at that point. They then got up and left.”
The meeting came one day after the NFL competition committee released a significant rule proposal that would centralize many in-game officiating responsibilities within the league’s New York City command center, if there is a work stoppage.
The NFL has offered a 10% increase in game fees across the board in the regular season and up to 30% for those who work the Super Bowl, sources said. The league is also seeking agreements to improve officiating performance, in part by redirecting annual bonus money toward high-performing officials and increasing the probationary period for new officials, which currently stands at three years.
Kevin SeifertMar 25, 2026, 04:44 PM ETCloseKevin Seifert is a staff writer who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL at ESPN. Kevin has covered the NFL for over 20 years, joining ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Washington Times. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.Follow on XMultiple Authors
CloseKevin Seifert is a staff writer who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL at ESPN. Kevin has covered the NFL for over 20 years, joining ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Washington Times. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.Follow on X
The NFLRA is hoping to lower the probationary period, ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler has reported.