Alex Becker
The most hated man in football is sticking around for the foreseeable future. Okay, maybe not most hated – that title obviously belongs to Deshaun Watson – but the heavily disliked Roger Goodell is expected to sign an extension to remain the commissioner of the NFL.
As first reported by the King of Twitter Adam Schefter, Goodell and the NFL’s compensation committee are finalizing a multi-year deal to be proposed to league owners at next Tuesday’s owner’s meeting in Phoenix. While exact details of the deal have not yet been revealed, it is speculated to make Goodell the highest paid commissioner in any sport ever, which makes sense considering Goodell hand-selected each of the committee members he is negotiating with. Fishy, I know.
This will be Goodell’s fourth and presumably final extension as he recently celebrated his 64th birthday, just one year shy of when his predecessor Paul Tagliabue retired. Though no exact timetable for the deal has been officially announced, the two sides have been discussing a three-year incentive-based contract.
It’s no secret that fans of football aren’t fans of Roger Goodell. Between unequal personal conduct suspensions, unfavorable rule changes (as well as lack thereof), and poor handling of on-field scandals such as Deflategate, fans have been constantly upset with Goodell and his decision making. However, this extension may not be as horrible as a lot of people will think.
Look, I’m not saying Goodell is as good a commissioner as human bowling pin Adam Silver, but he has done some good for the league. He managed to put together a full-length COVID season in 2020 with players receiving full compensation. He changed the Pro Bowl to make it both safer and more enjoyable to watch. He brought in absurd amounts of revenue, increasing teams’ values exponentially. And best of all he negotiated to get the Sunday Ticket rights away from DirecTV and bring it to Youtube for all of us common folk.
So do I have a strong opinion on this whole matter? Not really. It’s not my money that’s paying him. I don’t think Goodell is a particularly great commissioner, but it doesn’t bother me that he is coming back. Well, just as long as he doesn’t interfere with my bets.
