NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to get a multi-year contract extension next week at the NFL owner’s
meetings, according to a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN. His current contract runs through March 2024.
Goodell, 64, has been the NFL commissioner since 2006 and he is the sixth commissioner in league history. His predecessor, Paul Tagliabue, held the office for 17 years. Goodell served under Tagliabue before succeeding him.
Goodell’s most public role as commissioner has been as the league’s chief disciplinarian, and his uneven hand in dealing with scandals such as the New England Patriots practice videography scandal, Tom Brady’s suspension for deflating footballs, and the New Orleans Saints player bounty scandal have had a negative impact on his public perception.
He has ruled over a period of relative labor harmony between the league and the NFLPA. The NFL has not had a work stoppage since a players’ strike in 1987.
Goodell has also been a central figure in the ongoing league attempt to remove Daniel Snyder from ownership of the Washington Commanders.
A native of Jamestown in Western New York, Goodell grew up in Westchester County, north of New York City. He was a 1981 graduate of Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pa.
The NFL first had a full-time commissioner in 1941. Former Notre Dame athletic director Elmer Layden was the first man to hold the job. Ex-Steelers co-owner Bert Bell manned the post from 1946-59. Since then, just three men have guided the NFL through its modern era: Pete Rozelle from 1960-89, Tagliabue from 1989-2006 and Goodell for the last 17 seasons.
The owners will vote on Goodell’s extension and other league matters in the annual meeting in Phoenix next week.
