Roger Goodell has reportedly made some lofty demands in his latest contract negotiations with NFL owners, but the league insists the things he is asking for are not quite as extravagant as one report made them out to be.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen reported on Sunday that Goodell is seeking a salary in the neighborhood of $50 million per year in addition to the use of a private jet for life and lifetime health insurance coverage for his family. Goodell’s current salary is around $30 million per year, though he has the potential to earn more with bonuses.
It would appear that at least some NFL owners believe Goodell is aiming too high, as one told ESPN there are “several owners in this league who don’t make $40 million a year.” That, of course, is a technicality, as it refers to the actual salary a team owner takes home as opposed to the value of the NFL franchise.
“That number for Roger just seems too much,” the owner said. “It’s offensive. It’s unseemly.”
One NFL executive proposed to Schefter and Mortensen that Goodell not be permitted to earn a higher salary than the highest-paid player in the NFL, which would be around $25 million.
Shortly after the report about Goodell’s eye-popping demands surfaced, NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart issued a denial:
NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart strongly denies Roger Goodell's only written contract demands in August were for $50 million, plus the perks. Original ESPN source is adamant it is true but clarifies that the amount in writing was $49.5 million, just shy of $50 million.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) November 12, 2017
While Jerry Jones has gotten most of the attention for his opposition to the terms of Goodell’s extension (and deservedly so), it sounds like he is not the only one who thinks the commissioner’s proposed compensation package is excessive. With the way the NFL has botched the handling of player misconduct cases in recent years, you have to wonder how Goodell can justify the astronomical amount of money he has made.
