The NFL is experiencing some major changes heading into the 2025 season. While the owners have voted one some significant changes in recent months, the league just learned that one of their longest tenured referees will be hanging up his cleats for good.
Breaking: NFL Abruptly Loses 25-Year Referee (Report)
In the wake of a 25-year career, a longtime NFL referee has decided to retire:
Per Mark Schultz of Football Zebras, longtime umpire Carl Paganelli is retiring after 25 seasons. One of the longest-tenured NFL refs, Paganelli started working as an official in 1999.
According to Schultz, the NFL has hired Brandon Ellison to fill Paganelli’s role. His father, Roy Ellison, has also worked as an NFL umpire since 2003.
The 65-year-old Paganelli worked Super Bowl 39 between the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots and Super Bowl 41 between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears. The head officials for those games were Terry McAulay and Tony Corrente, respectively.
As one of the more highly-regarded refs, Paganelli was also called to work Super Bowl 46 (New York Giants vs. New England Patriots) and Super Bowl 48 (Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos). John Parry was the head ref for the Eli Manning-Tom Brady classic, with McAulay working the Seahawks-Broncos game.
Paganelli’s brothers, Dino and Perry, have also worked as back judges in the NFL. Dino began working in the NFL in 2002, while Perry retired after a 24-year tenure that spanned from 1999 to 2022.
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