NFL, Goodell working on 5-year extension
Commissioner Roger Goodell is on track to maintain his prominent place at the table for the next round of collective bargaining between NFL owners and players, a process that’s sure to be contentious.
The league is working on a five-year contract extension for Goodell, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Monday because the deal is not complete. Sports Business Journal first reported the contract negotiations.
Goodell’s contract is up after the 2019 season. The new deal would go through 2024. The current collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2020 season.
Goodell replaced Paul Tagliabue as commissioner in 2006. He earned just over $31 million for the 2015 season, down from about $34 million in 2014. Because the league office is no longer classified as a tax-exempt organization , the commissioner’s salary is no longer required to be made public through tax filings. In 2013, he made $35 million. In 2012, he collected $44.2 million.
Though TV ratings were down 8 percent last year and concerns about concussions have not subsided , NFL revenues have been steadily on the rise during Goodell’s tenure, $13 billion at last report. New stadiums, with significant public contributions, have continued to open across the league.
Though conflict has surfaced at times with individual owners, notably New England’s Bob Kraft in response to discipline for Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for the deflated footballs scandal, Goodell has clearly overseen enough success to gain the trust of the clubs. The move toward this extension signaled as much. There’s another labor feud looming, with the potential for a lockout or a strike in 2021 , so the owners will need faith in their leadership.
Boldin retires, shifts focus to bridging racial divisions
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. » A deadly, racially charged conflict in Charlottesville, Virginia, caused Anquan Boldin to re-assess his priorities and led to the Buffalo Bills receiver’s decision to retire after 14 NFL seasons.
In an interview Monday on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Boldin said he’s “uncomfortable” with how divided the nation is and wants to dedicate his entire focus to humanitarian and criminal justice causes.
“I always felt like football would be my passion, football would be the path to a lot of things,” Boldin said. “But just seeing the things that transpired over the last week or so, I think for me, there’s something bigger than football at this point.”
He then clarified that he was referring specifically to what happened in Charlottesville on Aug. 13, when a counter-protester and two Virginia state police officers were killed during a rally involving neo-Nazis and other rightwing groups.
“Do I think I can solve all the problems that we have in this country? Of course not,” he said. “But I think I have a duty to stand up and make my voice heard and be a voice for those who don’t have a voice.”
The NFL’s 2015 Walter Payton Man of the Year, Boldin oversees the South Florida-based Q81 Foundation, which offers educational support for underprivileged children. He has become an advocate for criminal justice reform since his cousin was killed by a plain-clothes police officer along the side of a Florida highway in October 2015.
Siemian wins Broncos’ QB job again
ENGLEWOOD, COLO. » Vance Joseph was admittedly enamored of the idea of a towering, chuck-it-or-tuckit quarterback with firstround pedigree and a lightning bolt for a right arm leading the Denver Broncos in 2017.
Even more captivating for the rookie head coach was the notion of his egghead seventh-rounder with the sneaky fastball and penchant for making the right decisions calling the signals.
So, it’s Trevor Siemian and not Paxton Lynch who will start for the Broncos.
Joseph made the announcement Monday following a five-month audition that represented the biggest position battle in the NFL this offseason.
Joseph suggested Lynch may still represent the future in Denver, but with a team that’s just 18 months removed from a championship parade and so good on defense, he had to think about today, not tomorrow.
So, Siemian is his guy going forward.
Just as he was Gary Kubiak’s choice a year ago.
“It’s all about performance, not potential,” Joseph said. “And Trevor is ready to lead our football team. We’ve got two receivers that are All-Pro caliber, we’ve got a great backfield, we’ve fixed the offensive line.”