Pat Leonard’s NFL Notes: The league’s controversial late-game officiating is raising eyebrows

The NFL has an officiating problem.

Parity is at an all-time high. The margins between teams are razor thin. And bad calls are rearing their heads regularly in big spots.

The league admitted to the Washington Commanders that referee John Hussey’s crew should have called defensive pass interference on Giants corner Darnay Holmes in the end zone at the end of last Sunday night’s Giants win at FedEx Field, a source said.

The NFL also said Commanders tackle Cornelius Lucas should not have been whistled for holding on an 11-yard Antonio Gibson run in the second quarter, per a source. The penalty backed Washington up to 2nd and 18 at its own 10-yard line and led to Kayvon Thibodeaux’s sack fumble returned for a touchdown.

Neither of those was the worst call of last weekend, though.

The Minnesota Vikings’ record 33-point comeback over the Indianapolis Colts almost didn’t happen because referee Tra Blake’s crew blew dead a fumble return for a fourth-quarter touchdown by Vikings corner Chandon Sullivan.

NFL VP of officiating Walt Anderson said New York could see immediately upon review that Colts running back Deon Jackson had still been up when he fumbled, but the call on the field prevented them from giving Minnesota a touchdown. The Vikings only got the ball at the spot.

This is on top of recurring and embarrassing roughing the passer penalties, including an unthinkable call against the Miami Dolphins’ Jaelen Phillips sacking the Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert a couple weeks ago.

Washington receiver Terry McLaurin also was whistled for an illegal formation penalty at the goal line of last week’s Giants win that the NFL did not cop to as a mistake, despite video of McLaurin checking himself with the side judge before the play.

No one in this space is suggesting that NFL officials are making calls with an eye on point spreads or over-unders. But in a billion-dollar industry and the country’s most popular sport, with the league now directly affiliated with casinos and gambling sites, simply the appearance of something consistently or dramatically off is enough to raise eyebrows.

“I’ve had more talks about this in NBA stuff, not NFL stuff,” retired NFL receiver Bennie Fowler said on the “Talkin’ Ball with Pat Leonard” podcast. “But on the outside looking in, now that I’m completely retired, it reminds me of that Buffalo Wild Wings commercial where they press the button to make it go into overtime or something ridiculous happens so people will stay at Buffalo Wild Wings longer.”

Fowler was talking tongue in cheek. But some members of national and local media recently have referenced the Tim Donaghy NBA scandal or questionable recent calls to illustrate the slippery slope of allowing individuals arbitrarily to decide games.

“This really is inexcusable,” ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio wrote of the McLaurin call. “And it shows that there is a potential pathway for the NFL to have a Tim Donaghy-type scandal.”

Perception sometimes can be misconstrued for reality. And it is bad for business if enough head-scratching, late-game calls are providing fodder for speculation on motives.

“That is what the NFL should worry about,” one team source said.

Franco Harris, the Hall of Fame running back who authored the Pittsburgh Steelers’ famous “Immaculate Reception,” died suddenly at age 72 this week just two days before the 50th anniversary of that iconic play. The Steelers and Raiders are squaring off on Sunday Night Football, and Harris’ No. 32 is scheduled to be retired at halftime, in honor of the indelible 1972 play. Tragically, a great player and man now is unable to share in the spotlight of that moment one more time. “It is difficult to find the appropriate words to describe Franco Harris’ impact,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement. “Franco brought joy to people on and off the field. He never stopped giving back in so many ways.” … Denver Broncos Super Bowl-winning running back Ronnie Hillman also passed away this week at the age of 31 after a battle with cancer. Hillman was a respected teammate and pro who racked up 145 rushing yards on the Broncos’ 2015 postseason run to Super Bowl 50. “Rest in peace, Ronnie,” Peyton Manning posted on Instagram. “We joined the Broncos the same year. Honored to be your teammate for four years in Denver. Great player, great person, great smile. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

[ Mike Lupica: Jets need to realize they don’t need the next Joe Namath, they need the next Vinny Testaverde ]

NFL Sunday Ticket, the league’s comprehensive television experience, is moving to Google’s YouTube TV in a new seven-year deal reportedly worth $2 billion annually.

DirecTV has broadcasted Sunday Ticket, which gives U.S. fans the ability to follow all out-of-market teams, on its satellite service since the package’s launch in 1994.

Now, beginning in the 2023 season, Sunday Ticket will be streaming and available on two of YouTube’s growing subscription businesses: as an add-on package on YouTube TV, and as a standalone a-la-carte option on YouTube Primetime Channels.

This means all out-of-market Sunday afternoon NFL games will be available on the platform. DirecTV had been paying a reported $1.5 billion a year previously for those broadcast rights.

This continues the NFL’s trend toward exclusive streaming deals, following Thursday Night Football’s move to Amazon Prime for this 2022 season.

[ Jets receivers coach Miles Austin suspended for violating NFL gambling policy ]

Commissioner Roger Goodell said this new NFL Sunday Ticket deal will “usher in a new era of how fans across the United States watch and follow the NFL.”

“For a number of years we have been focused on increased digital distribution of our games,”  Goodell said. “And this partnership is yet another example of us looking towards the future and building the next generation of NFL fans.”

Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, said this “expanded partnership” enhances the existing football experience on the platform that includes “streaming live games, keeping up with their home team, or watching the best plays in highlights.”

The seven-year term of the deal runs concurrently with the completion of the current collective bargaining agreement. The NFL and Google have been partners since 2015.

This deal extends the 2020 agreement that brought NFL Network and NFL RedZone (non-exclusively) to YouTube TV, as well.

The completion of that NFL Sunday Ticket deal is good news for NFL agents and players seeking clarity on what team and market spending will look like in 2023.

The league’s owners succeeded in keeping 2023 salary cap projections under wraps during their recent meetings outside Dallas, citing the uncertainty of those media rights negotiations and player benefits deferred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NFL and NFL Players’ Association both had work to do to reach a final number. But now there is little excuse to not have a more defined, working range that can be shared as consensus outside the closed-door meetings.

One league source told the Daily News they expect the 2023 NFL salary cap to be set in the $220-225 million range, with a minimal bump possible in 2024. Then 2025 and beyond will tell the story of just how much the NFL’s lucrative recent media rights deals will send the player salary cap into another stratosphere.

This year’s increase to a $208.2 million salary cap had been a welcome bump after the cap had plummeted from $198.2 million cap in 2020 to $182.5 million in 2021 due to the pandemic’s impact. The cap had been growing $10.74 million on average from 2013-20.

[ Antwan Staley: Robert Saleh may not be ready to quit on Zach Wilson, but QB’s time with the Jets is on life support ]

“Unfortunately his career here is done, because he has lost the locker room. He’s lost the guys. They have no confidence in him.” — Former Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, an Amazon Prime NFL studio analyst, on current Jets QB Zach Wilson