NFL owners, commissioner Goodell agree to 3-year extension through 2027
NFL owners and commissioner Roger Goodell agreed to a three-year contract extension through March 2027, the league announced Wednesday.
"I'm obviously honored to do this job," Goodell said. "It's not going to change how I'm approaching my day-to-day job, and it hasn't to date."
Goodell declined to speculate on whether this will be his final term as NFL commissioner.
"From my standpoint, I signed a three-year extension. That's what I'm going to do," he said. "We'll see what the future holds. I don't know. We'll see. I'm not making any commitments other than the next three years."
The new deal was reportedly agreed upon in March and was expected to be finalized shortly after, but the official agreement was delayed until the Fall League Meeting in New York. Goodell's current contract was set to expire at the end of this season.
Goodell took over from Paul Tagliabue in 2006 and will be in charge of the NFL for at least 22 years with his new deal. Tagliabue was commissioner for 17 years.
Since giving up its tax-exempt status in 2015, the NFL is no longer compelled to publicly reveal Goodell's salary. However, the 64-year-old earned a combined $127.8 million for fiscal years 2019-2020 and 2020-21, according to Ken Belson of the New York Times.
The commissioner's previous average salary of just under $64 million per season far eclipses that of the NFL's current highest-paid player, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who earns $55 million a year.
Goodell has landed two huge deals for the NFL since his last extension was signed in 2017.
First, Goodell helped finalize a collective bargaining agreement in March 2020 that most notably added a 17th regular-season game and expanded the playoffs from 12 to 14 teams.
The following year, Goodell guided the league to a media rights deal with CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN, and Amazon worth over $100 billion.
NFL franchises have also seen their values skyrocket during Goodell's leadership.
The Denver Broncos were purchased for a then-North American sports franchise-record $4.65 billion in August 2022 before the Washington Commanders set a new benchmark with a $6.05-billion sale in July. The year before Goodell took over as commissioner, the Minnesota Vikings were bought for $600 million.