The NFL will start hiring and training possible replacement officials with a deal not yet completed with the NFL Referees Association.
Talks between the league and the officials broke down after two mediation sessions that followed nine bargaining negotiations since October. Both sides have said they expect a new collective bargaining agreement in time for the upcoming season.
But that optimism has disappeared.
A session was held Sunday under the auspices of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and the NFLRA said the league "terminated negotiations" on Monday.
The NFL said new demands made by the officials led to the end of talks.
"In yesterday's session, the NFLRA ... abandoned positions that it had previously taken with both us and the mediators, and made economic demands totaling millions of additional dollars that they had agreed to drop at earlier sessions," league spokesman Greg Aiello said.
The league said that regional training sessions for replacement officials would begin this month "to ensure that there is no disruption to NFL games this season."
"Our goal is to maintain the highest quality of officiating for our teams, players, and fans, including proper enforcement of the playing rules and efficient management of our games," the league said in a statement.
The league will look to hire officials from anywhere but the BCS conferences because those officials are run by NFL officials, and the NFL doesn't want to put the BCS officials in an awkward situation.
The NFL's search would instead target retired college officials and perhaps current ones who would be qualified to work professional games.
Referees counsel Mike Arnold called those replacements "amateur referees."