The NFL is reportedly gearing up to have replacement referees in 2026 as their standoff with the NFL Referees Association continues with no new Collective Bargaining Agreement in sight. But what do the NFL players, whose careers will be impacted by the decisions these referees make on Sundays, think about the situation?
We'd give an answer if they had said anything at all. But the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), which has stood with the referees union in the past, has been conspicuously silent as this standoff has played out.
Granted, the NFLPA has been dealing with its own internal turmoil for the better part of a year. They only recently named JC Tretter as their new executive director after a prolonged internal battle over the long-term future of the union.
Nevertheless, former NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith has called on the players to once again stand with the referees as they battle the NFL to have their demands met.
"Several years ago the Players stood with the officials when they were locked out an was prepared to file a grievance that the NFL’s removal of the experienced and on-field first responders created an unreasonable health and safety risk. Still the right thing to do," Smith wrote on X yesterday.
Scabs?
The NFL's "plan" for replacement referees in 2026 seems to be starting by identifying officials from small football colleges to work their games instead. It's possible that they're going to struggle poaching top referees from major college conferences like the SEC, Big Ten and ACC.
Fans have bad memories of the last time we had "scab referees" for an extended period of time.
© Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
By far the most infamous instance of replacement referees making a mess of things was the "Fail Mary," where some replacement referees working a Monday Night Football game between the Packers and Seahawks ended on a confusing play that enraged fans when a touchdown was ruled for the Seahawks.
Will the NFL make the same mistake twice, or will they concede before it gets bad?
