PHOENIX — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell left owners' meetings at the Biltmore Hotel on Tuesday with a clear message: The league is preparing for a referee work stoppage in 2026, while simultaneously pursuing deals on stadium construction for the Chicago Bears and expanding into flag football.

The owners approved a new rule that amounts to insurance against the imminent labor crisis: Instant replay can now correct "clear and obvious missed calls" if replacement officials take the field during a work stoppage. It's the starkest signal yet that negotiations with the referees union are headed toward collapse.

"The negotiations have not progressed the way we had hoped from a timing standpoint," Goodell said. "We obviously have obligations to our fans and everybody in the National Football League to play. So, we are taking the appropriate steps to be ready, but we're also keeping focused on the negotiations."

Stalled Negotiations Point Toward Replacement Refs

The league and referees are deadlocked over compensation, accountability measures, and downtime between the Super Bowl and mid-May. The current agreement expires at the end of May.

This is uncharted territory since 2012, when replacement officials bungled a Monday Night Football game between the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers—a replacement ref incorrectly ruled a touchdown catch for Golden Tate that handed Seattle a victory. The embarrassing moment ended the lockout after just three weeks with an eight-year deal.

Jeff Miller, the NFL's Executive Vice President for Player Health and Safety, made the league's position blunt:

"There needs to be accountability measures. There needs to be performance measures. And that's what our negotiation posture has been. What [the NFL owners] are insistent upon is that the performance of the officials and the accountability for that performance has to improve."

Owners also greenlit a second replay rule allowing officials to remotely flag and eject players for flagrant or non-football acts missed on the field.

NFL All-In on Flag Football

Despite current NFL players getting soundly defeated by USA Football in the inaugural Fanatics Flag Football Classic in Los Angeles last month, Goodell doubled down on the league's Olympic ambitions.

"I think we'll see NFL players in the Olympics. They want to play. We just had a player here who wants to compete in the Olympics. That's his intent. I think it will be great for football. I think it will be great for the fans. And I'm even more excited for the opportunity for young women to play flag football in general, but also participate in the Olympics."

The NFL announced a partnership with TMRW Sports to develop and operate a professional flag football league for men and women—a major infrastructure bet on a sport the traditional league has largely ignored.

Bears Still Searching for Stadium Solution

The Chicago Bears remain caught between two paths. They've secured state funding approval in Indiana for a new stadium in Hammond, about 28 miles from Chicago. Simultaneously, they purchased a 326-acre property in Arlington Heights, Illinois for $197.2 million to build another facility.

Neither project has a clear timeline. The Arlington Heights plan alone requires $855 million in public funding for infrastructure.

Goodell made clear the patience is exhausted:

"They need to find a solution for a stadium. And they have looked not only in Indiana, but Illinois and other sites. And they've also invested in a site. So, I think they've been responsible, and I think it's really important that they come to a resolution on this relatively soon."

The Bears have occupied Soldier Field since 1971—the smallest stadium in the NFL with just 61,500 capacity.

League Expands Mental Health Services

Owners approved an initiative requiring every NFL franchise to hire a full-time mental health professional working from team facilities daily. Teams must also enhance support for injured reserve players separated from families and expand health coverage.

The move comes after recent suicides of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Rondale Moore brought mental health crises into sharp focus across the league.