NFL news: League considering major rule change involving replay officials

There had been talk of minimal changes for the 2026 NFL season, although certain aspects, like punching, may be tweaked. However, the league is considering a major rule change involving replay officials, according to ESPN.

“The NFL competition committee is discussing the possibility of authorizing replay officials to throw flags for specific penalties,” Kevin Seifert and Mike Reiss wrote.

The possible entry point is non-football acts that have gone unpenalized by on-field officials.

NFL might come up with a better plan for replay

But … NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said the league needs to be careful about taking things too far.

“You don’t want to just be expanding … Pandora’s box,” Vincent said. “But we believe that things like the non-football act, you can really, really restrict what that is. That’s something that we believe that potentially there’s a little bit of tweaking in the language. That may be the first step.”

One example from the 2025 season where the proposed rule could change things came in Super Bowl LX. New England Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe got into a sideline altercation.

During the scuffle, Jobe landed a punch to Diggs’ helmet. Because the officials didn’t throw a flag, no penalty could be assessed upon review.

“But if the NFL enacts what the competition committee is discussing, the on-site replay official would have been able to penalize and possibly eject Jobe for the punch,” Seifert and Reiss wrote.

This is an important move for the NFL. An infraction plainly seen on replay should have consequences. This is a common-sense move by the NFL. Hopefully, they will see it through.

One of the best things that would come from this kind of rule change would be the way it would serve as a deterrent for acts such as the one in the Super Bowl.

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