Goodell signs $40M per year extension
Cowboys owner Jones fails to delay deal until meetings.
Roger Goodell has signed a fifififififive- year contract extension to remain commissioner of the NFL through 2024.
A memo from the NFL’s compensation committee to team owners and obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press confifirms that Good el land committee chairman Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons, have signed the extension.
That extension has been a source of controversy because Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones objected to the process.
All 32 owners approved in May the compensation committee’s power to negotiate and sign a deal with Goodell, who replaced Paul Tagliabue in 2006.
Since then, the league’s total revenues have more than doubled to $14 billion.
A person familiar with the contract told The Associated Press it is worth almost $200 million, with a base of $ 40 million. But the deal is incentive-laden, the person added, speaking on condition of anonymity because the contract numbers are not made public.
Among those incentives are continued increases in revenues, stable or rising television ratings, a new labor agreement with the players — the NFL-NFL Players Association deal expires in 2021 — and how much the NFL gets in rights fees when it renews its broadcast contracts.
Goodell earned nearly $32 million in 2015, the last year in which public records for the NFL are available.
“Our committee unanimously supports the contract and believes that it is fully consistent with ‘market’ compensation and the fifinancial and other parameters outlined to the owners at our May 2017 meeting, as well as in the best interests of ownership,” Blank wrote in the memo.
“We are pleased to report that there is a nearly unanimous consensus among the ownership in favor of signing the contract extension now.”
That would not include Jones, whose objections surfaced publicly after his star running back, Ezekiel Elliott, ran out of legal options to appeal a six-game suspension handed down by Goodell under the NFL’s personal conduct penalty.
Jones was not immediately available for comment.
The NF L’s next owne rs meeting is in Dallas on Wednesday. Jones had hoped to delay the new deal with Goodell until then, when he could personally raise his concerns to other owners.
Steelers: Linebacker Ryan Shazier was transferred from a Cincinnati hospital to Pittsburgh to continue treatment for a spinal injury sustained during Monday night’s game against the Bengals.
The Steelers say S hazier was transported from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh on Wednesday afternoon and will continue to undergo tests before an update on his status is given.
Shazier left Paul Brown Stadium on a stretcher less than four minutes into his team’s 23-20 victory over Cincinnati following a tackle that left the 25-year-old writhing on the turf, his legs motionless. He underwent extensive testing at University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Chiefs: Coach Andy Reid suspended Marcus Peters for Sunday’s game against Oakland after a series of antics by the volatile cornerback.
The latest c ame in last week’s loss to the Jets, when a late penalty was called and Peters picked up the flag and flflung it into the stands. Peters proceeded to stalk off the field with a smile, assuming he’d been kicked out of the game, and was evidently undressing when he realized his mistake. He then ran back out without socks when he realized he hadn’t been ejected.
Rams: Poor air quality caused by wildfifires around their training complex in Ventura County caused the Rams to skip practice outdoors in favor of a walkthrough indoors at nearby Cal Lutheran University.
The Rams (9-3) are prepar- ing for an important showdown Sunday with the Eagles (10-2) at the L.A. Coliseum. The fifires aren’t expected to affffffffffffect the game.
Lions: Matthew Staff ff ff ff ff f ford seemed to be resting the injured fifingers on his throwing hand in practice. He did not throw passes while the media was able to watch and the Lions say he was limited.
Giants: Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning is back as the starting quarterback, the Giants confifirmed.
A week after being benched by former coach Ben McAdoo, Manning was put back into the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Cowboys by interim coach Steve Spagnuolo.
Bills: Quarterback Tyrod Taylor missed practice because of a bruised left knee, though coach Sean McDermott isn’t ready to rule him out vs. Indianapolis.
Bengals: Safety George Ilokahadh is one-game suspension overturned on appeal, leaving him with a $36,464 fine for his hit to Steelers receiver Antonio Brown’s head Monday.
Panthers: Three-time Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen (foot) returned to practice and is expected to play against the Vikings.
Browns: Linebacker Jamie Collins is recovering from right knee surgery performed two weeks ago. Collins tore a medial collateral ligament Nov. 12, ending his season.
Packers: Rookie cornerback Kevin King’s season is over after being placed on injured reserve with a lingering shoulder injury.