Adam SchefterESPN Senior Writer4:00 PM ET4 Minute Read
What Roger Goodell’s fourth contract extension means for his NFL legacy
Adam Schefter discusses Roger Goodell’s multi-year contract extension as commissioner of the NFL.
Roger Goodell and NFL owners are expected to finalize a multi-year contract extension for the commissioner at next week’s owners meetings in Phoenix, league sources told ESPN.
The NFL’s Compensation Committee is scheduled to present the proposed extension to team owners during a special privileged meeting Tuesday afternoon. Only one member of each team may attend this meeting.
Goodell’s renewal has been in the works since last season, when the Compensation Committee was given full membership permission to extend, according to sources. Sources say the sides have discussed a three-year extension, but no length has been agreed yet.
The NFL declined to comment.
The economics of Goodell’s new deal are unknown, but it is expected to be stimulus-driven and, given the league’s financial success, the most lucrative deal ever given to a commissioner in a sport.
This is the fourth overtime for Goodell, who took over from Paul Tagliabue on September 1, 2006; the previous expansions came in 2009, 2012 and 2017.
The process leading to this extension appears to have gone a lot smoother than the last one in 2017, when Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones threatened a lawsuit before the league finally fined him for his legal threats . This deal went into effect in 2019.
Since then, Goodell has helped secure a collective bargaining agreement that has ensured lasting labor peace and more than $100 billion in new media rights deals with CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN and Amazon that make the NFL the envy of other leagues. The NFL has also struck multi-billion dollar streaming deals with YouTube for its Sunday Ticket game package.
Additionally, the NFL has played its full range of games during the COVID-19 pandemic, with players receiving 100% of their compensation, which sources say was not lost to owners during this push to complete Goodell’s renewal.
NFL owners have also seen the value of their teams skyrocket during Goodell’s tenure as commissioner. The Minnesota Vikings — the last team to be sold before Goodell took over in 2006 — sold for $600 million, while the Denver Broncos sold for more than $4.5 billion last year.
Goodell’s tenure was not without controversy, however. Player safety, particularly concussions, has been a constant concern, as has the slow process of hiring presidents, chief executives and coaches from minority teams in the league. More recently, the league’s approach to player discipline, as well as player social activism, has been part of Goodell’s legacy.
There was speculation that Goodell’s 2017 extension would be his last – that he would step down once he had helped negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement in 2020 and a media rights deal in 2021. But Goodell loves his job and league insiders say he’s not ready to step down.
Goodell is 64 years old and some believe this will be his last deal with the NFL. Former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle resigned from his job at 63, and Tagliabue left at 65. Goodell is a known fitness fanatic and his stamina belies his age.
However, once this renewal is complete, there will continue to be increasing focus on identifying potential candidates to succeed Goodell in the years to come.
Internal candidates could include Chief Media & Business Officer Brian Rolapp, Executive Vice President/Football Operations Troy Vincent, Chief Administrator of Football Operations Dawn Aponte, Executive Vice President/Club Business and League Events Peter O’Reilly and Chief Revenue Officer Renie Anderson .
Candidates from outside the league office could include Chicago Bears president Kevin Warren and Los Angeles Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff.