NFL officiating is once again under the microscope after a weekend filled with contentious calls, and longtime rules analyst Mike Pereira says the league needs a major structural change.
Pereira, a former NFL official who has spent decades analyzing and explaining the rules for FOX Sports, argues that the league should move toward full-time referees.
“I think it’s time to look at full-time officials,” Pereira told the Charlotte Observer on January 9. “Not everyone. But I do believe that the person that represents the crew in the field, the guy in the white hat, the referee — I think those 17 people should be full-time working together all year. Not going home in between games, but going to an officiating institute and breaking down all the games together. So the messages are consistent. . . . I’m not a fan of making everyone full-time, but make the referees full-time. To me, it’s time for that.”
Moreover, Pereira’s comments were made before the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs. However, since then these comments now gain added weight in the wake of high-profile playoff controversies, including the Broncos’ overtime victory against the Bills and the Rams’ overtime win over the Bears.
Currently, most NFL referees hold full-time jobs outside the league and work part-time. Pereira believes this system contributes to inconsistent calls. He argues that full-time referees could study game film together in the offseason. They could also prepare for the season in a structured environment. This approach could lead to more uniform decisions on the field.
“The league owes it to the players, coaches, and fans to get it right,” Pereira says. “Making referees full-time is a start.”
The call for reform has support among coaches frustrated by recent rulings. Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who was fired on Monday, spoke passionately after a controversial interception in Buffalo’s loss to Denver.
“That play is not even close. That’s a catch all the way,” McDermott says. “I sat in my locker and I looked at it probably 20 times. Nobody can convince me that that ball is not caught and in possession of Buffalo… I think the players and the fans deserve an explanation.”
McDermott also criticized the league’s process for reviewing calls, noting that decisions appear to rest with one official or the league office in New York rather than involving multiple perspectives. “Here’s the deal, right? The fans deserve more. The players certainly deserve more. They deserve an explanation, and it’s a shame that a game is decided on a call like that, and there is no time spent with the head official going underneath the hood or to the replay booth,” he says.
Pereira believes a full-time model could address those concerns. Ensuring referees are better prepared, more consistent, and more accountable.
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