Roger Goodell negotiating a contract extension with NFL Owners

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Roger Goodell is negotiating a contract extension for the fourth time, sources said, believing it is likely the NFL commissioner will have a new deal in place in the coming months.

The NFL team owners’ desire to renew Goodell’s contract marks a big vote of confidence in his leadership through the pandemic and can be seen as a sign of his own growing confidence and security in the role since the last deal he signed in 2017.

“He’s at the top of his game right now,” said one owner. “Why would we want him walking out the door?”

The NFL denied negotiations are occurring. “There is no truth to this report,” said Brian McCarthy, league vice president of communications.

If completed, a new deal would upend the conventional wisdom that Goodell would leave shortly after the 2020 collective-bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association and the 2021 media rights deals. When he signed his last extension in 2017, then-NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart stressed that this would be Goodell’s last contract, though Goodell himself never said that. Goodell turns 63 on Saturday, Feb. 19.

Steps toward a new contract can also be viewed as a recognition that he lacks any obvious successor. Internally, Chief Media and Business Officer Brian Rolapp long has been seen as Goodell’s most logical replacement, but insiders say he has more work to do to woo owners.

Sources said Goodell’s negotiations are centered on extending his current deal for between two to four years beyond its expiration date of March 2024. He reportedly made $63.9 million in each of the past two seasons as part of his current incentive-laden deal. The economic framework of a potential new deal is unknown.

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