NFL owners are preparing for a potential lockout of officials as negotiations with the NFL Referees Association have reached an impasse. Sources revealed that team owners are "alarmed" by the stalled talks and have authorized league staff to begin hiring and onboarding replacement officials in the coming weeks. The league has already compiled a list of college-level officials to recruit and plans to approve replay enhancements to support replacements during preseason and regular-season games.

Training for the new officials will begin May 1, leaving about a month to reach an agreement before the current collective bargaining agreement expires May 31. League sources describe wide gaps between the sides on economic proposals and job structure changes. The NFL has offered a six-year deal with average annual raises of 6.45%, while current officials earned an average of $385,000 in 2025. The league is pushing for fundamental changes including extending probationary periods from three to five years and implementing performance-based assignments for playoff games.

The owners' frustration centers on what they call the union's resistance to accountability measures. The NFL wants to implement a pay-for-performance model similar to what players, coaches, and executives face. Sources indicate the league office is preparing for a lockout scenario, learning from the 2012 work stoppage where last-minute preparations led to challenges with replacement officials. With training set to begin in May, the window for reaching a deal is rapidly closing.