- May 21, 2026
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The new labor deal between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association puts a premium on competition — and accountability.
Low-performing officials could be assigned to work in the UFL, as explained in a recent ESPN item that reviews the new elements of the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement for officials.
The UFL-NFL connection piqued our curiosity. We asked the NFL for more information as to how this would work, given that the UFL would have to make room for any of the relegated NFL officials. (And given that the UFL may not be particularly interested in officials deemed to be deficient by the NFL.)
Per an NFL spokesperson: "The details are still to be worked out. From a CBA perspective, we now have the ability to work more closely with underperforming officials, and one way we have is for them to get additional reps in a league like the UFL."
A UFL source tells PFT that three or four NFL officials have worked in the UFL over the past two seasons. So the pipeline already exists, in general terms. The new CBA between the NFL and the NFLRA seems to contemplate something more formal and organized.
That could eventually be the case. For now, the specifics remain under construction.
With the NFL having no developmental league of its own, any connection between the NFL and the UFL could lead to more efforts by the NFL to tap into the opportunities created by the UFL.
Already, the league is relying on the UFL as a de facto device to help players develop. It could spread to other aspects of the overall NFL training experience, with players and officials potentially joined by coaches and executives to get valuable football experience beyond working for the 32 franchises of the NFL.
Low-performing officials could be assigned to work in the UFL, as explained in a recent ESPN item that reviews the new elements of the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement for officials.
The UFL-NFL connection piqued our curiosity. We asked the NFL for more information as to how this would work, given that the UFL would have to make room for any of the relegated NFL officials. (And given that the UFL may not be particularly interested in officials deemed to be deficient by the NFL.)
Per an NFL spokesperson: "The details are still to be worked out. From a CBA perspective, we now have the ability to work more closely with underperforming officials, and one way we have is for them to get additional reps in a league like the UFL."
A UFL source tells PFT that three or four NFL officials have worked in the UFL over the past two seasons. So the pipeline already exists, in general terms. The new CBA between the NFL and the NFLRA seems to contemplate something more formal and organized.
That could eventually be the case. For now, the specifics remain under construction.
With the NFL having no developmental league of its own, any connection between the NFL and the UFL could lead to more efforts by the NFL to tap into the opportunities created by the UFL.
Already, the league is relying on the UFL as a de facto device to help players develop. It could spread to other aspects of the overall NFL training experience, with players and officials potentially joined by coaches and executives to get valuable football experience beyond working for the 32 franchises of the NFL.