Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
NFL owners are discussing a potential multiyear contract extension for commissioner Roger Goodell, according to Front Office Sports sources, a move that, if completed, would extend the tenure of one of the longest-serving leaders in major pro sports and also keep him around for a series of key upcoming league initiatives. The matter, while still in development, did not formally come up at this week’s spring meetings in Minnesota.
Just 19 months after completing a prior, three-year extension running through March 2027, owners are considering another contract term that would extend Goodell to around 2030. Already, Goodell is set to earn around $700 million since becoming commissioner in 2006, a sum nearly twice the career earnings of any player in NFL history. A new term would add significantly to that total.
Though speculation has remained somewhat steady about the potential timing and nature of a commissioner succession at the NFL, there remains plenty of reason for the 66-year-old Goodell to stay. The league continues to distance itself as not only the most dominant pro sports league in North America but also the top programming in U.S. television, regardless of genre. A run of new audience records and rising revenue included an unprecedented average viewership of 127.7 million for Super Bowl LIX in February.
Next Up
An extension for Goodell, meanwhile, would ensure he will be in place for a series of major projects coming up for the league in the next several years. Among them:
- A new set of TV deals, as most of the league’s domestic-rights deals include an opt-out after the 2029 season, with one involving ESPN following a year later. It’s all but certain that the NFL will exercise those options and seek even greater media-rights fees.
- A new labor deal with the NFL Players Association. The current deal expires in March 2031, and a successor pact will need to account for the league’s expanding revenue.
- The potential arrival of an 18-game regular season, a move also poised to enlarge the NFL’s earning power.
- The creation of a full, 16-game slate of international games each season as part of an accelerating global strategy that includes seven such games this year.
- Forthcoming stadiums under construction for the Bills and Titans, and potentially the Commanders.
- The continuing expansion of the draft, an event targeted to reach a new attendance milestone in 2027 in Washington, D.C.
There was some surprising pushback on Wednesday elsewhere, however, as expected votes to amend the playoff format and ban the Tush Push both failed to garner sufficient owner support.
With at least 21 years in office, and likely more, Goodell continues to establish himself as one of the most tenured commissioners in sports. The NHL’s Gary Bettman has been in that spot for 32 years and counting. Major League Soccer’s Don Garber celebrated his 25th anniversary last summer.
