NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently inked a five-year contract extension but there is some confusion as to what’s going to happen at the end of the deal.
The NFL’s compensation committee announced last week that Goodell agreed to an extension that will pay him $200 million. The deal will run through the 2023 season. What happens once the deal is done is up for debate.
It was initially reported that Goodell would retire at the end of the deal. NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said at the league meetings in Irving, Texas that Goodell “has been clear that he views this as his last contract”. Lockhart also said that Goodell will work with NFL owners to identify and to have a successor in place by the time of the deal’s conclusion.
Goodell took the podium later and was asked about Lockhart’s statement. He responded that he hasn’t “made any determination” as to what he will do once the deal ends and there is currently no succession plan in place.
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Goodell also said that he believes “there is a limit to how many years you should serve” as NFL commissioner. He didn’t say how long that tenure should be. Goodell will be 64 years old at the end of the 2023 season, which would be his 17th as commissioner. Paul Tagliabue, Goodell’s predecessor, served for 17 years and retired at age 65 in 2006. The man Tagliabue succeeded, Pete Rozelle, was commissioner for 29 years and retired at age 63 in 1989.
– Curtis Rawls is a Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage and covers the NFL and the New York Giants. Please like and follow on Facebook and Twitter. Curtis can be followed on Twitter @CuRawls203.Goo