Report: NFL owners close to major decision on Roger Goodell’s future

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks with the media. Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Roger Goodell reportedly began discussing a potential contract extension with NFL team owners over a year ago, and it sounds like a new deal is on the verge of being finalized.

Goodell is expected to finalize a multi-year extension at next week’s owners meetings in Phoenix, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The NFL’s compensation committee will present the proposed terms of the new contract at a special meeting on Tuesday afternoon that will be attended by only one member of each of the 32 teams.

While no specific length of time has been agreed upon, Schefter said Goodell and NFL owners have discussed a three-year extension. The deal is expected to be incentive-laden and the most lucrative contract ever given to a commissioner in any sport.

Goodell, 64, last signed a five-year extension in 2017. An NFL spokesperson announced at the time that the commissioner would step aside when the deal expired in 2024. Goodell has since helped finalized a new collective bargaining agreement and spearheaded negotiations for a media rights agreement worth more than $100 billion. The NFL also recently signed a multibillion-dollar deal with YouTube for its “Sunday Ticket” package.

An extension for Goodell would be his fourth since he was elected commissioner in 2006.

The NFL has never been more profitable, so it makes sense that owners would not want change at the top. There is also no clear successor in place for Goodell. When we hear reports about how much money Goodell has made over the past several years, it is hardly a surprise that he is in no rush to retire.