Overview
- The Competition Committee’s five playing-rule proposals, released Tuesday, go to next week’s Annual Meeting in Phoenix and need approval from 24 of 32 teams to pass.
- The contingency plan would, for 2026 only, let Art McNally Gameday Central correct clear and obvious errors by on-field officials if a work stoppage forces replacement referees.
- Under the plan, league staff could add or pick up flags on defined fouls such as roughing the passer and intentional grounding, help sort running-into vs. roughing the kicker, and after the two‑minute warning assist on specific unsportsmanlike and leverage calls.
- Talks with the NFL Referees Association have stalled and the league has begun building a pool of roughly 150 replacement candidates from lower levels, a step that makes the backstop a live option.
- A separate proposal would expand league-office help on discipline by allowing consultation on ejections for flagrant football or non‑football acts even without an on‑field flag, while special-teams tweaks would permit onside kicks at any time, close the 50‑yard out‑of‑bounds tactic, and reset return‑team alignments.