The NFL Is Being Urged To Make Replay Review Change For 2026

The NFL is being urged to make a noticeable change to the replay review process for the 2026 season and beyond.

The league's replay reviews are a constant subject of scrutiny. What exactly is indisputable evidence, anyway? Which plays should be able to be reviewed and which shouldn't? It's a constant source of debate among NFL fans.

But one thing is clear: the more open the league is to the process, the better.

Ahead of the 2026 NFL regular season, the league is being urged to make a change. The NFL should make referee audio from replay decisions public. We should be hearing exactly what the referees are talking about and why they are either standing with or changing the call.

This is common in other leagues, such as the Premier League. We're seeing more referees mic'd up in other football leagues, too.

Front Office Sports is leading the charge to change.

NFL's officiating review process should change

"The NFL should make referee audio from replay decisions public," FOS argued.

"The Premier League released a fascinating 4-minute video of officials working through a huge VAR call at the end of Arsenal-West Ham. It's SOP for them-and should be for the NFL too."

It needs to happen.

Dennis Young wants the NFL to follow in the Premier League's footsteps.

"Release the ref tapes! Fans would have a clearer understanding of how decisions are made, tamping down on conspiracy theories, and the clips of refs reaching and then defending their decisions would be absolute catnip for the content mill between games. Howard Webb, who is in charge of England's soccer referees, regularly goes on television to break down the week's most controversial calls at a monitor, as he did for this weekend's Arsenal–West Ham call," he wrote.

It's a great idea - and it needs to happen.

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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 12:08 PM.