The NFL plans to introduce, for the first time in league history, a practice squad of up to 12 game officials this season, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert and Kalyn Kahler.
As part of the new collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Referees Association, the refs in the practice squad will be assigned to specific officiating crews, travel to stadiums, and be available to work games if a starting official is injured or performing poorly, Seifert and Kahler add.
The league will also reportedly elevate practice squad members to work regular-season games for developmental purposes.
The NFL and the referees' union ratified a seven-year CBA to avoid a work stoppage in early May after nearly two years of negotiations. The standoff included threats of a lockout and the use of replacement referees before the sides agreed to terms on the practice squad and other changes.
"I think it is going to create competition amongst the officials from top to bottom," NFL VP of officiating training and development Ramon George said.
Under the previous CBA, the NFL annually hired 119 officials who were distributed among its 17 crews. Two additional "swing" referees were often veterans who could float between crews as injury substitutes. The new CBA will allow the league to hire 10 additional swing officials, raising the total to 12 to form the new practice squad.
The NFL isn't likely to hire all 12 practice squad refs this year, given the late timing of the new CBA, a source told Seifert and Kahler. George said he'll pick the assignments with an eye toward meeting "future needs," potentially replacing officials close to retirement or those with lower performance ratings in the previous year.
George added that lower-performing referees could also be assigned to work in the UFL.
Swing officials will be paid for eight games of work, but could earn more if they're assigned to additional contests, per Seifert and Kahler. Tenured officials will reportedly still be paid for a 17-game season, even if they're rotated off a contest.
