The NFL Referees' Association said that negotiations have broken down between both sides as they try to get to an agreement on a new CBA.

The NFL has begun the process of identifying potential replacement game officials, in the event that ongoing negotiations with the NFL Referees Association fail to result in a new CBA.

Replacement referees could be making their return to the NFL in the 2026 season. ESPN's Kevin Seifert reported Wednesday that the league is "laying groundwork for hiring replacement officials this season if the league is unable to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Referees Association.

NFL replacement referees could return for the 2026 season if a new labor deal isn’t reached, reviving memories of the infamous 2012 “Fail Mary" debacle.

The 2012 season was a dark time in NFL history. If you do not remember, it was the year the NFL needed to use replacement refs. The NFL and the NFLRA were unable to reach a new CBA before the season began,

The NFL is laying groundwork for hiring replacement officials this season if the league is unable to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Referees Association.

We look at the 49ers’ history of bad calls against them with the news that replacement refs could be on the way

With the officials' CBA set to expire in May, the NFL is preparing contingency plans that could include replacement referees and a larger role for its centralized command center.