Wednesday was a good day to be Roger Goodell.
The longtime NFL commissioner finally got his contract extension at the end of the league meetings, a deal that will push Goodell’s career earnings to about $700 million, according to Front Office Sports.
The three-year extension will keep Goodell as commissioner through March 2027.
His deal was set to expire next spring.
“I’m obviously honored to do this job,” Goodell said. “It’s not going to change how I’m approaching my day to day job, and it hasn’t to date.”
A person familiar with the details told The Associated Press that Goodell’s deal includes clauses for extension or succession. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because details weren’t released.
Financial terms of Goodell’s new contract weren’t immediately known. Goodell reportedly earned $63.9 million for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
The 64-year-old Goodell has served as commissioner since succeeding Paul Tagliabue in 2006. He began his NFL career as an administrative intern in 1982 under then-Commissioner Pete Rozelle.
Under Goodell’s leadership, the NFL’s popularity and revenue have skyrocketed. The Washington Commanders were sold for a record $6.05 billion earlier this year.
“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,” Goodell said. “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.”
Goodell also has dealt with intense scrutiny and criticism regarding the league’s handling of off-field issues involving players, including domestic violence, and the initial response to Colin Kaepernick’s call for social justice by kneeling during the national anthem.
Kaepernick, 35, hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016.
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