According to a report by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, the NFL and the locked out officials have an agreement in hand which could see the regular officials take to the field as early as this weekend.
An agreement in principle is at hand, according to one source familiar to talks, although NFL owners have postured with a “no more compromise” stance.
Although league sources said it would take a week to get the locked-out officials on the field, the NFLRA says its 121 referees have been trained on the new rules implemented last season, have already passed physicals or are prepared to pass physicals immediately. New official game uniforms designed by Nike are “hardly an obstacle,” according to a source.
The report further states that both sides have pulled back on certain demands and made concessions on certain demands including a taxi squad of 21 new officials and pension plans.
This latest development comes in the wake of a weekend that saw several controversial calls made by the replacement officials. This included one call that determined the outcome of the Green Bay/Seattle Monday night game in which the NFL defended Tuesday.
Stay tuned for more news as it develops.
UPDATE: The NFL has denied reports that a deal is near and that he regular refs will be on the field this weekend.
h/t: ESPN