Done deal: Roger Goodell's new contract has been signed
There was apparently more than a little drama involved, but Roger Goodell has reportedly signed his new contract to remain NFL commissioner.
Details are scarce so far, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, citing a source, says the members of the NFL’s Compensation Committee have sent a memo to all team owners informing them that Goodell’s contract is a done deal.
“A binding contract extension has been signed by the Commissioner and by Arthur Blank, on behalf of the League entities,” the memo reads in part, according to Florio.
The Wall Street Journal reports that it is a five-year deal, with a base salary of $4 million annually. However, if Goodell meets all of the incentives in the contract, he can make as much as $40 million a year, meaning the contract’s max value is $200 million.
he reportedly has finalized his contract extension. (AP)
Additionally, it notes that there was “nearly unanimous consensus” among owners in favor of finalizing the deal now, though it wasn’t set to expire until 2019.
If “nearly unanimous” means there was an objection, you can probably bet it came from the Cowboys’ Jerry Jones, who slowed the process down considerably. Jones reportedly believes that Goodell’s salary is too high, and in his anger over Goodell’s decision to suspend Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott for six games after an allegation of domestic violence not long after he was drafted, Jones inserted himself in the contract process, despite not being an official member of the Compensation Committee.
Owners unanimously voted in May to give the committee authorization to extend Goodell’s contract.
There was a report last month that Goodell’s demands included a $50 million annual salary, lifetime use of a private jet and lifetime insurance for his family. NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart strongly denied that Goodell demanded such things.
