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The NFL will hire up to 24 full-time game officials from among the current 124-person roster of officials, the NFL and NFL Referees Association (NFLRA) jointly announced Wednesday.

The NFL and NFLRA agreed to experiment with full-time officials as part of the last Collective Bargaining Agreement. The decision to hire up to 24 such officials for 2017 is a collaborative initiative intended to promote the common goal of enhancing all aspects of NFL officiating - scouting, training and mentoring, better understanding of current game trends, game preparation, and increased input on rules relating to player safety and game administration.

"We believe this is a great development for NFL officiating overall and ultimately the quality of our game," said NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent. "We share a common goal, which is to make our game as great as it can possibly be, and look forward to working together on this new effort."

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