Roger Goodell is a divisive figure across the National Football League.
NFL Commissioner for over two decades, the 67-year-old has presided over the league’s greatest era of expansionism, with franchise values and commercial revenues booming across the board.
The TV deal he helped strike in 2021 is worth nearly $120bn over its 11-year lifetime, making it the biggest sports media deal in the world by an order of magnitude.
Meanwhile, he has made a favourable labor pact with players until 2030, and the combined enterprise values of the 32 NFL teams is approaching $250bn. The $9.6bn takeover of the Seattle Seahawks by the Khosla family is the latest triumph on that front.
For that reason, Goodell is overwhelmingly popular among franchise owners. But among fans, he is far more divisive.
Goodell is routinely booed at the NFL draft. Why? Well, he is filthy-rich, seen as servile to owners, and he has been a convenient absorber of scrutiny amid several on-field scandals.
But he has helped to spin the NFL into a truly global product. And that is among the reasons he is set to continue in his role and oversee the move to an 18-game season.
Roger Goodell close to signing new contract; push for 18-game season continues
Adding another game to the NFL regular season has long been high on the agenda for owners. The equation is simple – more matches, more gameday revenue, more leverage in talks with sponsors and media partners.
But while owners were once hopeful of having an 18th game in place in time for 2027, that timeline is now no longer viable, with a new CBA agreement not yet in place and a series of other issues to be ironed out.
But Front Office Sports, a respected industry publication, are now reporting that Goodell is expected to sign another contract extension in the coming months, giving him a fresh mandate to pursue an 18-game season.
Goodell’s deal, signed in October 2023, expires next March. It is now fully expected that his extension will be comfortably voted through, potentially in either the October or December quarterly meeting of owners.
In 2020-21, when Goodell’s salary was still publicly disclosed, he picked up an astonishing $64m.
Given that his contract is highly incentivised, it is likely even higher now given the increase in franchise valuations and operating income across the league. Add in inflation-indexed clauses, year-on-year escalators and a likely signing-on bonus and Goodell’s salary will almost certainly have reached a new panacea once the extension is done and dusted.
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