( CNN ) -- The real referees were greeted with a standing ovation Thursday night as they returned to the field after a new contract was announced less than a day earlier . It may be the last time fans will voice their opinion on the recent NFL lockout that brought replacement referees to the football field . Thursday 's 23 to 16 win by the Baltimore Ravens over the Cleveland Browns went on without much controversy , a far cry from the gaffe-filled display that punctuated the first three weeks of the professional football season . For NFL officials , it 's a side job that requires a lot of work . Before Thursday 's game NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he was sorry the league felt it had to resort to the replacements , few of whom had any previous NFL officiating experience . Many were high school or low-level college officials who hold down myriad other jobs , from schoolteachers to attorneys . That ended Wednesday night when the NFL stuck a deal with officials . The eight-year deal , which must be ratified by union members , includes details about officials ' pensions and retirement benefits , and adds a pay bump from $ 149,000 a year in 2011 to $ 173,000 in 2013 . The pay will rise to $ 205,000 by 2019 . It suspended the lockout that began before the league 's preseason , leading to a series of gaffes that climaxed in a furor over a botched call that allowed the Seattle Seahawks to walk away with a victory in Monday night 's nationally televised game against Green Bay . The league acknowledged Tuesday that the Packers should have won , but allowed the result of the game to stand . NFL chief apologizes about replacement refs . Goodell declined to criticize the replacements despite weeks of botched calls that raised the ire of fans nationwide . `` Everything they did , every call , was magnified , '' Goodell said . `` They kept the game going . They worked hard . They trained hard . They were incredibly focused and dedicated . '' Henry Zaborniak , a fill-in line judge who lives in Ohio , said it was a hard job . `` We worked as hard as we could and we did the best we could , '' said Zaborniak , who spent 15 years as a Big Ten official , . `` None of us felt like we could replace the regular guys . You ca n't replace that sort of ability en masse . '' What the refs were negotiating .
Fans give officials standing ovation before Thursday game at Baltimore . There was no signature gaffe during Thursday 's game . Comment: referees locks in pay raises , protects pensions for five years .