NFL extends commish Goodell through March ’27

• ESPN News Services

Oct 18, 2023, 10:50 AM ET

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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has received a three-year contract extension through March 2027, it was announced Wednesday.

“It really was quite simple, honestly,” Goodell said of the process involved for the extension. “It was just a matter of getting to it, frankly. It wasn’t much of a discussion. It was pretty quick.

“I’m obviously honored to do this job.”

Goodell, 64, has served as league commissioner since 2006. The economic framework of Goodell’s new deal is not known but is expected to be incentive-laden and, considering the league’s financial success, the most lucrative deal ever given to any commissioner in any sport.

Goodell, whose deal was set to expire in spring 2024, reportedly earned $63.9 million for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.

The announcement was made by the NFL’s compensation committee.

“From my standpoint, there’s still a number of things that we want to do as a league,” Goodell said of his key priorities heading into his new deal. “It’s not my agenda. When we talked about a long-range plan [with owners], we talked about, ‘this is your long-range plan.’

“Listen, there are a lot of challenges out there, but there are also a lot of opportunities for us. We’re focused on how we make the NFL better every day, how we become a global sport. I think some very exciting things are happening in that context. I feel really good about where the National Football League is today, but we don’t sit around and tell ourselves that. We really focus on the things that we need to do.”

This is the fourth extension for Goodell, who took over for Paul Tagliabue on Sept. 1, 2006; the previous extensions came in 2009, 2012 and 2017.

He began his NFL career as an administrative intern in 1982 under then-commissioner Pete Rozelle.

“He’s done so much for the league with stability,” Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said earlier this week at the league’s spring meeting. “… It’s a tough job, but he’s been a hard worker and worked very hard for the NFL and its success.”

Since his last extension, Goodell has helped finalize a collective bargaining agreement that has brought continued labor peace and new media rights deals of more than $100 billion with CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN and Amazon that make the NFL the envy of other leagues. The NFL also has a multibillion-dollar streaming deal with YouTube for its Sunday Ticket package of games.

NFL owners also have seen the value of their teams skyrocket during Goodell’s tenure as commissioner. The Minnesota Vikings — the last team to sell before Goodell took over in 2006 — sold for $600 million, while the Washington Commanders sold for a record $6.05 billion earlier this year.

Goodell’s tenure has not been without controversy, however. Player safety, particularly concussions, has been a constant issue, as has the league’s slow process of hiring minority team presidents, general managers and coaches. More recently, the league’s handling of player discipline, as well as player social activism, has been a part of Goodell’s legacy.

The contract affords the league the opportunity to groom a potential replacement for Goodell should he decide to walk away in 2027.

“No question, he’s going to be involved and have options to stay on as a consultant and help us develop his list, what he thinks are the best people,” Irsay said earlier this week. “He’ll be with us through it. The contract will speak to that. We’ll look for his contribution every way possible, how he can help us find the next commissioner or CEO and commissioner, however we feel the league needs to be set up going forward.”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler and information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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