Report: NFL commissioner Goodell nearing 5-year extension
So much for a perceived rift between NFL owners and its commissioner.
Roger Goodell is closing in on a five-year extension that would see him remain NFL commissioner through 2024, Daniel Kaplan of the Sports Business Journal reports. His current contract is set to end in 2019.
The contract would be similar to the extension he earned in 2012, which paid him north of $35 million annually, according to Kaplan.
Goodell has recently drawn the ire of some of the league's most powerful owners. The four-game suspension he levied on New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to begin the 2016 season led to a clash between he and owner Robert Kraft. Ahead of the upcoming season, the NFL has imposed a six-game suspension on Ezekiel Elliott, the star running back of Jerry Jones' Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys and Patriots were the two most valuable franchises in 2016, valued at $4.2 billion and $3.4 billion, respectively.
The Patriots and Goodell famously remained at odds until the franchise won the Super Bowl in February. Jones has yet to issue a statement since Elliott was slapped with the suspension on Aug. 11.
With his contract nearing its end and two of the world's most recognizable team owners angered, it was easy to draw a conclusion that Goodell's time as commissioner may be nearing its end. He does not require approval from all 32 owners to remain in the role, however, as the competition committee was given the authority to make such decisions.
An extension would keep Goodell in power for next collective bargaining agreement negotiations. The current CBA expires in 2020.
Goodell became commissioner in 2006, after the retirement of Paul Tagliabue.