Roger Goodell is closing in on the 15th anniversary of his commissioner tenure. Come September, he will begin his 16th season. It does not look like Goodell plans to vacate that post in the near future.
Prior to the 2020 CBA’s passing, a sense around the league pointed to Goodell stepping down shortly after the CBA talks and the latest TV deals coming to pass. However, those checkpoints are now in the rear-view mirror. With a $113 billion media deal secured, Goodell may now stay on past the expiration date of his current contract.
The longtime commissioner’s deal expires in March 2024, and Peter King of NBC Sports notes that Goodell not only could stay on for multiple years beyond that contract’s expiration but that the bulk of NFL owners want him to do so. In 2017, conflicting reports emerged about Goodell’s retirement date. After a report indicated Goodell would indeed walk away at the conclusion of his current contract, he stopped short of announcing that.
Goodell, 62, is on track to pass predecessor Paul Tagliabue as the NFL’s second-longest-tenured commissioner. Tagliabue served in that role from 1989-2006. Pete Rozelle served as commissioner from 1960-89; that kind of longevity will be difficult for future commissioners to surpass. Tagliabue retired at age 66; Rozelle walked away when he was 63.
While a frequent punching bag, with his disciplinary powers in particular inviting scrutiny, Goodell has secured labor peace through 2030 and steered the NFL through a full season during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shepherding the league through the tumultuous 2020 stretch may well have provided more momentum for Goodell to extend his tenure, per King, who adds owners would want Goodell’s eventual successor to come from inside the NFL. It does not appear a successor will be needed for a bit.
Long live Goodell! i love his chair and the M&M’s
His leverage is so high right now he could pull a Kenesaw Mountain Landis and demand a lifetime appointment and he’d probably get it.
Easily the worst commissioner the NFL ever had. Totally botched the Kaepernick affair but I guess the owners want someone around who can suspend Josh Gordon another 6 or 7 times.
Why the hell would he walk away from the suitcases of cash he’s being paid….
And his free plane as well!
And the easiest job in the world! Any and every situation, all he has to do is contact the owners and ask, “What do you want me to do?”
bingo
I’m not sure preventing owners like Jerry Jones, Daniel Snyder and Robert Kraft from looking like idiots is the easiest job in the world but Goodell is well paid to put a favorable spin on their misdeeds.
Great…
NOOO, GOD! NO, GOD, PLEASE, NO! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Keeping NFL down as long as possible
Oh lucky us!
I’ll give him some credit. I initially couldn’t stand him, but he has gotten better as a commissioner the longer he has been there in my opinion.
Making everyone a LOT of money!
Who wouldn’t want a Tebow jersey? lol.
At least the argument could be made that Tagliabue and Rozelle oversaw a game that became more endearing to its fans and more profitable, whereas Goodell oversaw a period where it simply became more profitable.
Please no