NFL signs 5-year extension for commissioner Roger Goodell
NEW YORK -- Roger Goodell has signed a five-year contract extension to remain commissioner of the NFL through 2024.
A memo from the NFL's compensation committee to team owners and obtained by The Associated Press confirms that Goodell and committee chairman Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons, have signed the extension.
That extension has been a source of controversy because Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones objected to the process. CBS Sports reports that the approval of the contract will probably come as a shock to Jones, who had said on Tuesday that he didn't think a deal would get done before the NFL owners meeting that's scheduled for Dec. 13 in Irving, Texas.
Although Jones has been staunchly against Goodell's extension, he has toned down his antics over the past few weeks. During the interview with 105.3 The Fan, Jones admitted that he's never felt "better about the future of the league."
"I feel good about the future of the league. I really do," Jones said. "I really think that relative to how we make decisions, some of the things that we need to address, no organization is immune from needing to make some changes and addressing some things in different ways. That's just part of going forward. I feel real good about doing all that. We've got a lot of pluses in my mind. Frankly, I've never been in this league when I feel better about it's future. And I mean that."
All 32 owners approved in May the compensation committee's power to negotiate and sign a deal with Goodell, who replaced Paul Tagliabue in 2006.
Since then, the league's total revenues have more than doubled to over $13 billion.
But Goodell has been under controversy this year for his handling of NFL players' anthem protests. At a rally in Alabama, President Trump said Goodell had "just put out a statement trying to justify the total disrespect certain players show to our country. Tell them to stand!"
Goodell called the comments divisive, but he gave a press conference days later saying "we believe everyone should stand for the national anthem."