Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
-
Kevin Seifert
off
Kevin Seifert
ESPN staff writer
- Kevin Seifert is a staff writer who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL for ESPN. Kevin has covered the NFL for over 20 years, joining ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the Washington Times. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.
-
Kalin Kahler
off
Kalin Kahler
ESPN
- Kalin Kahler is a senior NFL writer for ESPN. Calin reports on a variety of NFL topics. He reports on the influence of coaching agents in NFL recruiting and finds out what current and former Cowboys players really think about the tour groups of fans who roam The Star every day. Before joining ESPN in July 2024, Kalin wrote for The Athletic, Defector, Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated. He began his career at Sports Illustrated as an assistant to NFL columnist Peter King. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she was a varsity cheerleader. In her spare time, Cailin takes Spanish classes and teaches Irish dancing. You can contact Kalin via email.
Multiple authors
Negotiations between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association on a new collective bargaining agreement have progressed so far that the union has scheduled a ratification vote for Thursday night, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
If formally approved by both sides, the deal will avoid the need to use replacement officials this season. The existing CBA is set to expire on May 31.
Specific terms of the deal were not immediately available. The NFL declined comment, and the NFLRA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The two sides have been in talks for more than two years but reached an impasse late this winter. The NFL began recruiting potential replacement officials from the college ranks in early March and owners A sweeping set of rules is allowed It will allow league staff members to help officiate games from NFL headquarters in New York City.
These rules were designed to reduce the kind of chaos that occurred when the NFL used replacement officials during the 2012 CBA impasse. But because they depended on the use of replacement officials, the rules approved in March will not apply to the 2026 season, assuming full ratification by May 31.
NFL negotiators hoped to use the expiration of the CBA to make significant changes to the department’s work structure. The owners wanted to extend the probationary period for new hires, reduce the use of seniority for the postseason, and reduce the length of an official’s “dark period” after the season, among other goals.
