The NFL took an important step Wednesday in what has been a five-year process to convert its officials into full-time league employees. After months of negotiations prompted by the NFL competition committee, the NFL Referees Association (NFLRA) agreed to the structure of a modest transition during the course of the 2017 season.
How will this work? What will this mean for the industry? And, most importantly, will it improve the state of officiating? Let's take a closer look -- even closer than we did in this post from December.
Hold up. NFL officials weren't already full time?