Roger Goodell

NFL Executive VP Brian Rolapp To Become PGA Tour CEO

June 13th, 2025 at 10:35am CST by Sam Robinson

As Roger Goodell nears his third decade as NFL commissioner, he is moving toward another extension. But the league continues to look into successors. The PGA Tour will intervene involving one option.

NFL executive vice president Brian Rolapp is leaving his post to become the PGA Tour CEO, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and Seth Wickersham report. Rolapp is viewed as one of the Goodell successor options, but he will move into the golf ranks.

Spending 22 years working in the league, Rolapp had held his executive VP post since 2017. He served as a key presence under Goodell, being viewed as the lead architect of the league’s business and media setup (per ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach) during what has been a period of extraordinary growth. While Rolapp is departing to work in the golf world, Front Office Sports’ Daniel Roberts notes this departure is not expected to remove him from future consideration to replace Goodell when that time comes. Arthur Blank and Tiger Woods were part of the committee to select Rolapp for the PGA position, per Schlabach.

The subject of Goodell’s successor has come up many times in recent years, but the commissioner — who will begin his 20th year at the helm in September — is expected to receive another extension soon. Owners did not discuss the matter at their recent meeting, but Wickersham told Puck’s John Ourand (h/t Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio) owners want to gather a clearer view of candidates who could take over for the long-serving leader before proceeding down the extension front again.

Rolapp’s exit continues a trend of potential Goodell replacement candidates moving out of the picture, with Florio adding a perception within the league exists that those who do become long-term Goodell lieutenants are not viewed as true candidates to succeed him. As it stands,no clear favorite exists to replace the league’s second-longest-tenured commissioner.

Considering Goodell’s salary hovers in the $60MM range, there will not be a shortage of aspiring commissioners. It will be interesting to see if Rolapp indeed circles back. For now, he will be part of a circuit navigating choppy waters as many of its top golfers left to join the LIV Golf League in recent years.

Roger Goodell: No CBA Talks Planned

May 24th, 2025 at 9:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

The current collective bargaining agreement runs through 2030, leaving plenty of time for negotiations between the NFL and NFLPA to take place on several issues. Commissioner Roger Goodell made it clear when speaking at the recent owners meetings an effort to begin serious talks on the next CBA are not lined up.

“There are no formal plans on any discussions,” Goodell said (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio). “We obviously continue to be in close communication with the union on a variety of matters, but no start of negotiations have been set or are under consideration really at this point.”

Goodell has made no secret about the league’s key goals for the next CBA. Expansion to an 18-game regular season is among them, although the players association as expected is not looking to agree to that without significant concessions being made. Increasing the NFL’s international footprint is also high on the agenda. Staging as many as 16 regular season games outside the United States annually within the next five years was named as a target by Goodell this week.

Goodell said he and the owners spoke “at length” about two key matters. The first was the salary cap, and the second was the ongoing spike in costs with respect to owning and operating NFL franchises. The cap ceiling was $120.4MM when the 2011 CBA was signed; that figure stands at $279.2MM for the coming campaign. Further surges are expected in the near future once the newest round of media rights deals are agreed to.

With the cost of roster building continuing to increase and franchise values spiking, a number of teams have turned to private equity funds for an infusion of cash. Stakes of up to 10% in NFL teams recently became permissible, and a small list of equity firms are in position to take on a non-controlling share in franchises. It would come as no surprise if the trend of such transactions continued over the coming years.

In the meantime, owners will look into measures related to the salary cap and operating expenses (which will no doubt include, crucially, the share of revenue between the league and the PA). Goodell noted no discussions about expanding the schedule took place this week in Minneapolis, but that topic can be expected to remain a point of emphasis moving forward. When a strong push to open up CBA talks is made, it will be interesting to see how the NFLPA responds.

Roger Goodell Expected To Receive Contract Extension

May 22nd, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

Roger Goodell‘s current contract runs through 2027, but his tenure as NFL commissioner could continue beyond that point. An extension is expected to receive approval from owners, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.

The matter of another new contract was expected to be discussed yesterday during the owners meeting, but that did not prove to be the case. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor) no conversations were held about another Goodell pact. The most recent extension in that respect took place in October 2023.

Goodell is currently 66, and finishing his current deal would take him past 20 years at the helm of the league (thus marking the second-longest run for an NFL commissioner). Another extension – which would be the fifth of his tenure – would obviously be a sign that retirement is not under consideration, though. Paul Tagliabue‘s successor has overseen the league through two CBAs and one media rights deal, with another agreement on the latter front likely coming soon.

Under Goodell, the NFL’s value and that of its franchises has soared. The recent sales of the Broncos and Commanders – for a combined price of $10.7 billion – illustrates that point. Revenues are expected to continue growing with a new, more lucrative broadcast deal and continued expansion of the NFL’s schedule at home and abroad. Earlier this year, it became clear an 18-game regular season with a total of 16 international games played per year is a target for the league.

Since taking over in 2006, Goodell has of course been the subject of criticism on a number of fronts. Matters such as the handling of suspensions as well as health and safety concerns (including concussions and playing surfaces) have been talking points for years, and that will likely continue into the future. It has long been clear, however, that the league’s owners are comfortable with the status quo when it comes to the NFL’s top executive position.

With discussions on this front being tabled, no timeline is in place for a new Goodell pact to be worked out. Plenty of time remains on his current deal, but a stint ranging beyond 2027 could very well be on the horizon.

Roger Goodell Discusses International Games, Private Equity Firms

May 22nd, 2025 at 7:13pm CST by Ben Levine

After the NFL participated in five international games in 2024, the league is set to host seven contests outside of the United States in 2025. If Roger Goodell‘s vision comes to fruition, the NFL will eventually play nearly a season’s worth of overseas games in a single year.

During a recent appearance at the CNBC CEO Council Summit, Goodell revealed that he’s hoping to host 16 international games in a single season.

“I do see 16 regular season games, and I do think that will happen in the very near future,” Goodell told CNBC’s Scott Wapner (via Jessica Golden of CNBC.com). “Within 5 years probably.”

The “NFL International Series” started back in 2007 with a regular-season game between the Dolphins and Giants at Wembley Stadium in London, England. The NFL expanded to Mexico in 2016, and they’ve since held games in Germany and Brazil. The league is set to take it a step further in 2025, with games scheduled for Spain and Ireland, and there’s a game in Australia set for 2026.

Goodell previously hinted at a 16-game international slate, although his five-year target is new. While a foreign franchise doesn’t appear to be on the immediate horizon, the commissioner made it clear that overseas games are a clear priority for the league.

“International is an open market for us,” said Goodell. “We are excited about our potential.”

Goodell touched on a number of additional subjects during the summit, including the recent uptick in private equity firms taking stakes in NFL franchises. We heard recently that the Chargers requested approval to sell an eight-percent stake in their franchise to a private investment firm, following the footsteps of other organization’s that have recently sold off small stakes.

As Golden notes, there’s only a small grouping of firms that are approved to purchase small parts of NFL teams: Ares Management, Sixth Street Partners, Arctos Partners, and a consortium consisting of Dynasty Equity, Blackstone, Carlyle Group, CVC Capital Partners, and Ludis. Goodell hinted that another undisclosed firm could soon be joining this list.

“There’s enough demand for it that we think it’s the right step,” Goodell said.

Packers’ Proposal To Ban Tush Push Fails

May 21st, 2025 at 10:15pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

10:15pm: The other five teams who voted against the Packers’ proposal were the Browns, Jaguars, Dolphins, Saints, and Titans, per Schefter.

The Saints are now coached by Kellen Moore, who helped Philadelphia execute the play as their offensive coordinator last season. However, the Shane Steichen-led Colts and the Jonathan Gannon-led Cardinals both voted to ban the tush push despite their connections with Nick Sirianni and the Eagles.

10:47am: The Packers’ effort to to ban the tush push has failed, according to The Athletic’s Diana Russini. Green Bay’s revised proposal to prohibit all instances of pushing on offense only received 22 votes, two shy of the 24 required to pass, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Eagles led the opposition to the measure, and the Ravens, Patriots, Jets, and Lions were among the teams to join them, according to Schefter. John Harbaugh, Mike Vrabel, and Dan Campbell all came out against the ban during league meetings in Florida in March. Aaron Glenn spent the last four seasons under Campbell in Detroit, and his new quarterback in New York, Justin Fields, has converted 11 of 12 push sneaks in his career, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Baltimore has also found some success with their version of the play featuring tight ends Mark Andrews and Charlie Kolar.

The NFL’s committees on competition and health and safety both endorsed the proposal ahead of the owners’ meeting this morning, per Russini, as did Roger Goodell, according to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. That led to increasing belief that the tush push ban would be successful, per FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano, though some owners remained uncertain, as noted by Mark Maske of The Washington Post.

The Eagles then launched an all-out effort to rally opposition during today’s meeting with owner Jeffrey Lurie, assistant general manager Jon Ferrari, and former center Jason Kelce speaking for almost an hour, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. The main thrust of Philadelphia’s argument was their belief that the tush push is actually safer than the traditional quarterback sneak, which was one of their reasons for adopting the play originally, according to Bleacher Report’s James Palmer.

“Whoever votes to ban this play is taking liability for putting risk on our quarterbacks,” said Lurie (via Russini). Following his “passionate but fair” speech, Kelce addressed safety concerns accompanied by video footage, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. Other owners who spoke at the meeting were Jerry Jones (Cowboys), Jed York (49ers), and Terry Pegula (Bills), per Breer.

The meeting then moved into a privileged session in which only owners and family are allowed for a vote, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. After announcing the decision, owners returned to the privileged session for further discussion on the tush push, per Maske, though it’s unlikely another vote would yield a different result.

The NFL was reportedly behind the Packers’ attempt to ban the tush push, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, as well as the Lions’ tabled reseeding proposal. Goodell pushed back against reports of his support for Green Bay’s proposal after the vote (via Mike Jones of The Athletic), saying that he wanted a thorough debate regarding both measures.

The NFL did unanimously approve a proposal to modify the onside kick, according to Breer. Teams who are trailing may now declare an onside kick at any time and can line up even with the ball at the 35-yard line. Previously, only the kicker could line up with the ball with the other 10 players at the 34.

Tush Push Fallout: Eagles, Lurie, Packers, NFL, Odds, Safety, Rewording

May 21st, 2025 at 10:04pm CST by Ely Allen

We saw earlier today that the Packers‘ proposal to ban the Eagles‘ notorious tush push play fell two votes short of the necessary 24 votes to pass. As the day continued, we saw some minor reports following the failed proposal.

For instance, Dianna Russini tells us that four high-ranking front-office officials were under the impression that the league used Green Bay to push the proposed rule change due to their lack of a principal owner. The thought being that, by using Green Bay, other team owners would be able to put their support behind the proposal without any singular owner being targeted by those who oppose it.

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie seemed to agree with this sentiment, believing that the league was attempting to influence the vote. He particularly criticized NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent for advocating for the ban, per ESPN’s Seth Wickersham.

Here are a few other notes from the initial fallout of the failed proposal:

Lurie’s speech attempting to keep the proposal from passing was reportedly described as both extremely emotional and passionate and fact- and data-based. According to Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the impassioned intensity of the speech was due to an internal feeling within the franchise that the Eagles faced an uphill battle and believed the proposal would indeed be passed.
We had mentioned briefly in recent weeks that the Packers were resubmitting the proposal with broader language in an attempt to gain more supportive votes, going beyond the QB sneak terminology to include any offensive player “pushing, pulling, lifting, or assisting the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him.” According to Russini, multiple sources believe the new phrasing alienated some teams and ended up actually hurting the odds of the proposal being passed.
In his impassioned speech, Lurie made some questionable assertions, per Russini, the most notable of which being that the tush push is “the safest play in the history of the game” and claiming that “whoever votes to ban this play is taking liability for putting risk on (the league’s) quarterbacks.” He doubled down on this in his attacks on Goodell and Vincent, citing that he had spoken to NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills about the play extensively, according to Wickersham.

Vote On Revised ‘Tush Push’ Ban Expected Next Week

May 19th, 2025 at 3:30pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

MAY 19: The Eagles are making calls around the league to argue in favor of keeping the play in place, Dianna Russini and Tess DeMeyer report (subscription required). A broader definition being considered for a ban could help convince teams which were initially opposed to a ban to support one, but last-minute efforts are being made to prevent that from happening.

MAY 18: The Packers’ crusade to ban the tush push will continue next week when NFL owners gather in Minneapolis, according to Mark Maske of The Washington Post.

Green Bay proposed the rule change ahead of the last league meetings in Florida at the end of March, but it was tabled due to narrow wording that appeared to target the Eagles and the Bills. The language is expected to be broadened to cover all instances of pushing or pulling a ballcarrier, per Maske.

“We’ll see if there is a three-quarter consensus on any proposal, specifically the push-play proposal that Green Bay put forward or any other amending it when we get together next week,” said NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller (via Maske).

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Packers team president Mark Murphy both expressed support for an expanded push/pull ban after the initial language failed to generate consensus in March.

The Eagles, who have used the tush push more frequently than any other team, have led opposition to the rule change. They succeeded in slowing initial momentum by arguing that the Packers were singling out a specific execution of the play. However, health and safety concerns surrounding the push play have persisted, especially after a presentation by NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills warning that a catastrophic injury was a matter of when, not if.

The Packers hope that the change will draw more support around the league after teams were split on the original proposal, but a league source remains unsure if the new language will receive the 24 votes required to pass, according to Maske.

NFLPA Pushes Back On Prospect Of 18-Game Season

February 5th, 2025 at 3:53pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

As expected, Roger Goodell‘s comments about an 18-game regular season have already drawn pushback from the NFL Players Association.

“The length of the season is a CBA negotiated matter, so any commentary outside of negotiation is just commentary,” said NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell (via The Athletic’s Mike Jones). “No one wants to play an 18th game. No one. 17 games to many of the guys is still too long.”

That sentiment was echoed by NFLPA president Jalen Reeves-Maybin (via Mark Maske of The Pat McAfee Show):“I don’t think anyone was really in favor of going to 17 [games].”

Howell confirmed that neither the league nor the NFLPA have addressed the 18-game proposal in negotiations, per Maske. If and when formal talks begin, the players will have to consider several factors, including economic benefits, bye weeks, international travel, and roster size, before agreeing to another schedule expansion, according to Jones

Their fundamental objection will be the increased physical and mental burden of lengthening the already-grueling regular season. Despite Goodell’s promotion of the NFL’s healthy and safety measures, Howell argued that the league has not made enough progress in that arena to warrant an 18th game, per Jones.

However, the NFL seems determined to press on in its quest for an 18-game season, setting it up as a crucial issue for the 2030 CBA. Though, this issue is likely to be headed for true negotiations before that point. This will allow the NFLPA to seek important concessions in exchange for greenlighting a second schedule change in a decade.

18-Game Regular Season On Horizon Within 2-3 Years?

February 3rd, 2025 at 3:30pm CST by Ben Levine

FEBRUARY 2: Although the NFL schedule may well chance twice during the 2020s, Goodell said Monday (via Bovada’s Josina Anderson) no formal discussions have taken place on a move to 18 yet. It appears a near-certainty those will happen in the not-too-distant future, as the NFLPA will have a major bargaining chip to use in an effort to land concessions from the league in exchange for the extra game.

FEBRUARY 1: An 18-game regular season may be on the horizon. According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, the NFL and NFLPA recently discussed the potential schedule adjustment.

This comes on the heels of a recent Roger Goodell interview. The commissioner cited the NFL’s continued “focus on the safety” aspect of the game as a stepping stone for a potential 18-game season. Goodell continued to point to the league’s “20-game framework” and the understanding that an added regular season contest would only come at the expense of a preseason exhibition.

As Florio notes, the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement lasts through the 2030 season, and it’s believed an 18-game schedule could be apart of the next CBA. When the two sides last agreed on a new CBA in 2020, they expanded the regular-season schedule to 17 games.

Florio believes “it’s possible (if not likely)” that the NFL and the NFLPA are currently refining details for an 18-game schedule, and their recent discussion indicates that the change could be coming sooner than later. Mark Maske of The Washington Post cautions that an agreement is not imminent, although he adds that NFL owners remain hopeful that the NFLPA will agree to expand the regular-season slate. If the two sides continue to move in the right direction, some owners believe the change could be implemented in the “next two to three years.”

There have been previous rumblings of an 18-game campaign, and NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell already hinted at some possible concessions surrounding the addition of an 18th game. While overall compensation is the obvious one, other points of negotiation would include additional bye weeks, improved playing surfaces, and decreased travel.

While these concessions represent some possible hurdles during negotiations, it seems the two sides are at least heading towards an eventual solution. While an 18-game schedule was once discussed as possible, it’s seeming more and more likely that an 18-game schedule is truly inevitable.

Roger Goodell Aiming For 18-Game Schedule, 16 International Games

January 17th, 2025 at 10:52pm CST by Ely Allen

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently sat down to do an interview on Bloomberg TV for The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations. In the interview, Goodell touched on a number of recent topics including the league’s goals for an 18-game season and a 16-game slate of international games in a season.

Goodell approached the answer to a question about the 18-game season by claiming that “if (they) continue to focus on the safety” aspect of the game that 18 games could be the potential result. It’s a contradictory notion that Goodell attempts to justify with the suggestion of removing another preseason game to maintain “that 20-game framework.”

The idea that replacing a preseason game with a regular game is a simple solution disregards many issues that come along with it. In regard to safety, increased games results in increased stress to the body and a higher likelihood for injury. Especially when considering that preseason games hardly see extended time from main starting players, replacing preseason games for regular-season games is not a one-for-one return in regard to safety.

Additionally, coaches and player personnel staff utilize preseason games to help whittle the roster down to the eventual 53 players who will open the season on the team. Continuing to reduce the number of preseason games robs a large number of fringe players of playing opportunities to show that they deserve a roster spot, potentially diminishing the quality of play in the league by denying diamonds in the rough a chance to shine.

The only seeming benefit that would result from the extension of the season is that every player would receive an extra game check, increasing the value of their contracts. In reality, the benefit goes to team owners and the league, who will all see a revenue increase from replacing poor-performing preseason games with higher-stakes regular-season contests. With no risk to their own health and safety, the support of an 18-game season has been a no-brainer for the elite in league circles.

NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell, after going over superficial discussions with the NFL about the possibility of an 18-game season, spoke this past summer about concessions the players could seek in return for adding an 18th game. While overall compensation is the obvious one, other points of negotiation would include additional bye weeks, improved playing surfaces, and decreased travel, a contentious issue with the NFL’s insistence on expanding the game internationally. Not surprisingly, these are all health concerns for issues that could be further strained by an extension to the season.

While Goodell claims they would only move forward “with the players” on this decision, he calls it the “logical” next step. The situation feels like an inevitable transition from which the players will simply need to try to get whatever concessions they can.

On the topic of the international slate, Goodell confirmed recently mentioned plans to expand to 16 out-of-country games in a season. He has quickly pushed the slate from five such contests in 2024 to a confirmed eight in 2025. Increasing the number of games in a regular season to 18 would, in theory, make it easier to schedule 16 international games, but if the NFLPA decides to push back on the amount of travel in return for increasing the season, the league’s two goals could be working against each other.

Goodell did push back a bit on the possibility of expanding the league or relocating a team to an international site, though. While he does believe there are markets internationally that could sustain an NFL franchise, he cited issues with travel and competitiveness as hurdles in the execution. The notion a European franchise could spawn — or an American team could relocate — has not generated as much buzz over the past several years. Goodell’s latest remarks continue that trend.

He did project an idea that moving a division would make more sense than moving a single team. This solution would see three road games each year come with relatively short travel for those international teams, assuming they’re all in a close area like Europe. The remaining five or six road games would still require extensive travel, as would the travel for any teams visiting them. This would especially be an issue for any team whose schedule includes all four teams from the international division, requiring either two separate trips or one, long overseas trip to play those games.

The terms of the active collective bargaining agreement for the players are currently in place until 2030. Given the league’s quick work on the international slate, the owners’ eagerness to once again expand the NFL schedule, and Howell’s willingness to engage in early dialogue, it feels like a push for change is coming much sooner than that. Money talks, and if the NFL can alleviate the players’ concerns with promises of concessions, we may be watching a new-look season very soon.

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