The new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the NFL and NFL Referees Association appears set to bring historic changes in 2026.A deal was struck between the two parties last month, to ensure the league avoids any potential ‘Fail Mary’ sequel heading into the new season.The NFL’s new CBA with the NFLRA will promote competition between officialsGettyWhile the agreement is yet to be signed, it has been ratified by the union.New CBA will emphasize competition amongst NFL officialsESPN has taken a look at the details of the CBA, and revealed that for the first time ever, the NFL plans to form a ‘practice squad’ of up to 12 game officials.Those on the squad will be ‘assigned to specific crews, travel to stadiums and be available to work games’ if a starting official is either injured or performing poorly.As part of the CBA, the league said it also plans to ‘elevate’ some practice squad members to work regular-season games for developmental purposes.Ramon George, NFL VP of officiating training and development, told ESPN what the practice squad hopes to achieve.“I think it is going to create competition amongst the officials from top to bottom,” he said.Meanwhile Scott Green, the NFLRA’s executive director, added: “We’ll do everything we can to improve officiating and we believe there are provisions that will help make that happen.”The creation of a practice squad signals a big change from previous years, and serves as the most visible line from CBA negotiations that the NFL pledged would improve officiating performance.And with more competition amongst officials, those who under perform during the season will soon be at risk of demotion — to the United Football League (UFL).Under-performing NFL officials could be assigned to UFL under new CBAThe officials’ offseason, which is also known as the ‘dark period’ and previously lasted from the end of the regular season to May 15, has been shortened.The offseason for NFL officials has been shortedGettyAccording to ESPN, the dark period will end on May 1 under the new CBA, and officials will be able to use extra time for additional training and development.George told the outlet that a shortened offseason is ‘centered around individuals who under-performed during the season, and were not assigned’ to a playoff game.ESPN added that those officials will meet with their supervisors immediately after the regular season to ‘review each of their calls and identify mistakes’ in mechanics and positioning.If necessary, individuals would be assigned to work in the UFL, George confirmed.Such a move would be seen as a massive demotion for any official, and is essentially the refereeing equivalent of being sent to the minors.With both the NFL and NFLRA committed to improving officiating, the threat of being sent to the UFL will no doubt keep individual referees on their toes.Under-performing officials face being demoted to the UFL under a new dealGettyWhether or not the standard improves, will only become clear as the season rolls on.Stay up to date on all things NFL across our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET.