J.J. Watt pushes back on full-time NFL referee argument

J.J. Watt isn’t buying the idea that making NFL referees full-time employees would suddenly fix officiating.

After a Thanksgiving slate that featured multiple controversial calls across all three games, one fan suggested to Watt on social media that it would be a good time to revisit the idea of hiring NFL referees full-time. The argument is one we hear every season when bad calls pile up, especially on high-profile days like Thanksgiving. But Watt, who has been one of the most vocal critics of NFL officiating since retiring, offered a more measured response than you might expect.

“I can be as hard on refs as anyone at times (certainly was when I was playing), but I am not convinced that ‘full time’ refs fixes the frustrating issues,” Watt wrote on X. “You have to remember that these are still humans at the end of the day. There is still the element of human error, regardless of how much training, time on task, etc.”

This Thanksgiving provided plenty of ammunition for fans frustrated with officiating. The Packers-Lions game featured a controversial timeout call where replays showed Matt LaFleur signaling for a timeout after a false start, not before, as the officials ruled. That allowed Green Bay to score a touchdown instead of likely settling for a field goal. The Cowboys-Chiefs game was marred by ticky-tack pass interference calls that heavily favored Dallas.

Watt’s point is that people don’t realize how fast things are moving on the field. Pass interference and roughing the passer calls require split-second judgment on plays happening at full speed. Those are the exact penalties Watt has criticized throughout the year when they’ve been called incorrectly.

“Could it improve? Absolutely. Should we still be frustrated by missed calls? Absolutely,” Watt continued. “But there are a lot of ‘judgment calls’ out there every Sunday (specifically with Pass Interference and Roughing the Passer) that rely on a human being to use their best judgment in the blink of an eye on grown men moving full speed. It’s very difficult.”

That doesn’t mean the NFL shouldn’t pursue better officiating. But Watt is of the opinion that the solution might be more complicated than just changing employment status. Maybe it’s about better use of replay review, clearer rule definitions, or more consistent enforcement of judgment calls. Or maybe, as frustrating as it is to accept, some level of officiating controversy is just part of the game when you’re asking people to make instantaneous calls on plays that need multiple slow-motion replays to sort out.