Topline
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell isn’t going anywhere: the NFL announced Wednesday that they extended his current contract by three years, through March 2027.
Key Facts
Goodell’s deal was set to expire next spring, and this is his fourth time getting his contract extended.
Though no information about his new salary was made available by the NFL Wednesday, Goodell reportedly earned $63.9 million for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
ESPN also reported the extension is expected to be “incentive-laden” and potentially “the most lucrative deal ever given to any commissioner in any sport” because of the NFL’s success under Goodell.
Big Number
$5.1 billion. That’s how much the average NFL team is worth, according to Forbes’ calculations. That number has continuously increased under Goodell, up 14% from last year and now at a record high.
Key Background
Goodell has been league commissioner since 2006. Goodell has had success in his tenure at securing media rights deals with companies like NBC, Fox and Amazon, along with creating multibillion dollar streaming deals with YouTube for the Sunday Ticket Package, according to ESPN. The value of teams has also increased 14% this year under Goodell, according to Forbes. But Goodell has had to deal with controversy, including concerns over concussions and the safety of players, and the rise of activism among players—most notably with Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the national anthem. After Kaepernick first began to kneel, Goodell said “we believe very strongly in patriotism in the NFL” and that he didn’t agree with the move, but years later said he wished he had listened to Kaepernick and other players earlier about what they were trying to do.
Further Reading
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/10/18/nfl-extends-roger-goodells-contract-through-march-2027/