His annual salary estimated at $40 million, Roger Goodell has signed a five-year contract extension to remain commissioner of the National Football League through 2024.
The extension has been a source of controversy because Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones objected to the process. A memo from the NFL’s compensation committee to team owners obtained by The Associated Press confirmed that Goodell and committee chairman Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons, have signed the extension.
Since Goodell replaced Paul Tagliabue in 2006, the league’s total revenues have more than doubled to $14 billion. A person familiar with the contract told The Associated Press it is worth almost $200 million, with a base salary of $40 million. But the deal is incentives-laden, the person added, speaking on condition of anonymity because the contract numbers are not made public. Goodell earned nearly $32 million in 2015, the last year in which public records for the NFL are available.
This story first appeared in the blog, The Sport Intern. The editor is Karl-Heinz Huba of Lorsch, Germany. He can be reached at ISMG@aol.com. The article is reprinted here with permission of Huba.