NFL commissioner Goodell to get multi-year extension

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to get multi-year extension

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 3/20/23

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to sign a multi-year extension at the league’s owner’s meetings next week in Phoenix.

Schefter said his sources indicated the extension has been in the works since last year and that it would be a three-year deal, marking the third time Goodell will have signed a three-year contract during his tenure (2006, 2009, 2023).

The deal will also make Goodell the second-longest tenured commissioner in NFL history (20 years), behind only Pete Rozelle (29 years).

It’s also expected to be “the most lucrative deal ever given to any commissioner in any sport,” according to Schefter.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will sign a multiyear extension next week, per @AdamSchefter.

A 2020 NY Times report revealed Goodell was making $63.9 million per year & he has reportedly made ~$500M since becoming commissioner in '06.

That's more than any NFL player in history. pic.twitter.com/On2Iu9acJJ
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) March 20, 2023

While Goodell is as polarizing of a commissioner as there’s been, his impact on the league can’t be denied. He has helped build the NFL into a 365-day-a-year, multi-billion-dollar juggernaut. The NFL Draft now draws higher television ratings than the NBA Finals and the Oscars.

Goodell spearheaded the latest collective bargaining agreement that boasts a $113B media rights deal with Amazon, CBS, ESPN, Fox and NBC and multi-billion dollar deal with YouTube for the streaming rights to the NFL’s Sunday Ticket.

He also negotiated a 17-game regular season schedule and 14-team playoff format, delivering fans more football content while padding the league’s bottom line.

However, Goodell was not without controversy. He’s come under fire many times during his residency for several issues, including player safety and how the league handles concussions, the lack of minority hires for front office positions, poor officiating and the lack of accountability for referees, player discipline and social/racial discrimination.

It’s been speculated that this will be the 64-year-old Goodell’s final contract; Rozelle left when he was 63, and his successor, Paul Tagliabue, stepped down at 65. However, Goodell has done exactly what the owners wanted when he was hired in 2006: drive up revenue.

It wouldn’t come as a surprise if he landed another extension in 2026.

More must-reads: