Commissioner Roger Goodell has agreed to a new contract with the league through March 2027, the NFL announced on Wednesday.
“I’m obviously honored to do this job,” Goodell told reporters on Wednesday following the conclusion of the Fall League Meeting in New York. “It’s not going to change how I’m approaching my day to day job, and it hasn’t to date.”
Goodell, 64, has served as commissioner since 2006 when he was elected to replaced the retiring Paul Tagliabue.
“From my standpoint, there’s still a number of things we want to do as a league,” Goodell said when asked what he wants to accomplish over the three-and-a-half years. “It’s not my agenda. As a matter of fact, when we talked about the long-range plan we talked about this is your long-range plan, this is our long-range plan. There are lot of challenges out there, but there are also a lot of opportunities for us, and we’re focused on how we make the NFL better every day, how we become a global sport. I think some very exciting things are happening in that context and I feel really good about where the National Football League is today, but we don’t sit around and tell ourselves that. We really shouldn’t, and we really focus on what are the things we need to do.”
This is Goodell’s fourth extension, following re-ups in 2009, 2012 and 2017.
There had been speculation that this extension could be Goodell’s last as commissioner, but he declined to speculate on his future beyond 2027 when asked on Wednesday.
“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.”
Goodell began his NFL tenure in 1982 as an administrative intern in the league office under then-Commissioner Pete Rozelle, and his time with the league will now now extend to cover 45 years in total and 21 as the commissioner.
Goodell’s time has been marked by an emphasis on creating a safer game, shepherding the NFL through a 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic in which no games were canceled and growing the game globally, highlighted by the introduction of the NFL International Series in 2007.
Goodell declined on Wednesday to discuss his potential legacy as NFL Commissioner.
“If I was focusing on my legacy, I wouldn’t be standing in front of you,” Goodell told reporters. “I wouldn’t have signed an extension. My job is to be Commissioner of the National Football League. Do the best I can, and that’s what I’m going to do. You guys can decide legacies later. That’s not what I’m focused on. I’m focused on what we can accomplish as a league.”
Goodell also touched on a number of other key league topics during his Wednesday news conference:
- On Tuesday, league ownership unanimously approved a proposal to push in-person head coaching interviews with candidates employed by NFL teams until after the Divisional Round of the playoffs has been completed. The thought was that the proposal would slow down the hiring-process and potentially leading to a more diverse pool of candidates “I know the focus is on head coaches, we understand that, but we’re focused on the entire league,” Goodell said on Wednesday. “How do we continue to have diversity be a part of our league, and make us better, and I think it has.” Goodell noted that while “significant progress” has been made on broader diversity numbers the league has room for improvement. “We obviously know that we have work to do here, and the clubs are very focused on this. It has to be a sustainable change, and that’s where ownership is.”
- Goodell told reporters that this week’s news that flag football will be an official sport in the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles is “very significant” for the sport. “I think now to put it on that stage — the Olympic stage — is really putting a seal of approval,” Goodell said. Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill already has expressed a desire to represent the U.S. in the Olympics, and Goodell acknowledged the opportunity the L.A. Games presents. “Frankly, it’s going to be a stage where I think a lot of athletes are going to want to participate, including former and current NFL players,” Goodell said. “So we’re going to have to work through all that. But I think it’s a great opportunity for the athletes, I thin it’s a great opportunity for the NFL.”
- Goodell addressed last month’s changes to the league’s gambling policy, which included harsher penalties for betting on NFL games while a reduction of penalties for players who place bets on other sports while in the workplace. “We wanted to make sure that it was clear that if you bet on the NFL that’s not acceptable. That’s the key takeaway. We obviously believe that betting inside our facilities or on businesses is something that’s inappropriate. We monitor that and we’ve actually adjusted that discipline so that it’s lower. Betting on the NFL is the highest violation that we have and we want to make sure people understand that.”
