Jerry Jones has found himself on the defensive in the wake of a report that he is holding up Roger Goodell’s contract extension, but the Dallas Cowboys owner insists any issues he has with the commissioner are not personal.
When Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported on Sunday that Jones is impeding the negotiations between Goodell and the league’s owners, the implication was that Jones is upset over Goodell suspending Ezekiel Elliott six games. In his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan Tuesday, Jones insisted that decision has had no effect on his relationship with Goodell.
Jerry Jones asked on @1053thefan if the Ezekiel Elliott suspension has changed his relationship with Roger Goodell: pic.twitter.com/EWnFUOnXAH
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 19, 2017
Goodell’s contract is being negotiated by a compensation committee made up of six team owners. Jones is not on that committee, but he has confirmed he has a big role in the negotiations. He also said he has always supported Goodell but has issues with the commissioner that are typical of any two-sided negotiation.
“What we’re talking about is his agreement and certainly — just picture this, you could certainly be supportive of Roger Goodell but not necessarily in agreement with terms or if you will structure of his contract,” Jones explained, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “That’s the point of the negotiation. So you’re seeing a negotiation that’s going on and I’m a part of the negotiation on behalf of all the owners.”
It’s impossible to know if Goodell’s decision to suspend Elliott has altered Jones’ stance in any way, but Jones can’t be the only owner who has questions about the astronomical amount of bonus money Goodell has made in recent years. Considering all the player misconduct cases he has mishandled, Goodell should have to answer plenty of questions before inking a new deal.
