According to NBC Sports, Jim Daopoulos tells PFT that the NFL and NFL Referees Association have signed a new deal.

A crew is being assembled to work Thursday night’s game between the Browns and Ravens.  Then, on Friday, the officials will travel to Dallas to retrieve their equipment and receive their game assignments for Sunday and Monday, with the same crews working together as last year.   The officials will vote on the deal in Dallas on Friday, at which time it will become final.  They’ll then participate in a clinic, and head on Saturday to the game sites.

Daopoulos says that the much-debated pension issue was resolved with the current defined-benefit plan remaining in place for five years before switching to a 401(k)-style defined contribution plan. But things still aren't completely clear.

Also, it’s believed that the deal will cover five more years beyond this one, which means that we’ll potentially be doing this again in 2018, hopefully without the replacement refs.


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