It is finally official. After weeks of delays and uncertainty, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has reportedly signed a five-year extension through 2023 according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The incentive-laden contract is worth up to $200 million over the length of the deal. A six-member compensation committee, led by Falcons owner Arthur Blank, announced and approved the deal.
According to multiple reports, Roger Goodell has signed a five-year extension worth an upwards of $200 million to remain NFL Commissioner.
— 98.5 The Sports Hub (@985TheSportsHub) December 6, 2017
Appointed commissioner in 2006, Goodell officially took the reigns from Paul Tagliabue on September 1st. Since then, the ‘law and order” commissioner has had a contentious relationship with a number of owners. He is disliked by most fanbases and some players and coaches. In fact, the only person who may genuinely like Goodell is NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. Bettman previously held the title of most hated North American sports commissioner until Goodell arrived.
Early attempts to establish his authority (Bountygate and Spygate) set the tone for what would be a rocky tenure thus far as commissioner. The Ray Rice incident once again brought Goodell under fire and it has been one issue after another since.
His handling of player discipline, Deflategate, and the Ezekiel Elliot saga has brought the ire of some owners. Most notably, Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, and the always entertaining Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones. It got to the point where there was concern whether or not a deal would be completed. These doubts came after the compensation committee voted to renew Goodell’s contract back in May. Jones was reportedly ready to hold up the deal after the recent legal dealings in the Elliot appeal. Going as far as threatening a lawsuit against the league and some owners. However, things seem to have settled.
“I’m happy that it’s over,” Falcons owner Arthur Blank said via ESPN. “I was just telling Roger that, in the history of the NFL, I’m not sure a big decision has been so transparent as this one. We got a lot of input from a lot of owners, a lot of guidance from them, and we feel very good about what developed out of that.”
The news will likely be controversial among a segment of players, coaches, owners, and fans. With that said, Goodell makes the owners money. At the end of the day, that is what it is really all about. Goodell will stand at the podium and be a punching bag for just about everyone who is frustrated with the NFL. In the process, he takes the attention away from the owners themselves. Don’t be mistaken, he absolutely deserves it. But all this means is that we have five more years of inconsistent suspensions and below board investigations.
If his decision making hasn’t gotten him fired to this point, there is not much he can do to lose this job. Unless, of course, he starts losing the owner’s money. Until that point, it’s five more years of Roger.
– Ian Glendon is the Editor-In-Chief of Full Press Coverage and the AFC East Division Editor. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @iglen31 Follow @FPC_Patriots and Facebook.
