Nothing personal
Cowboys owner sees win in Goodell’s new deal.
IRVING, Texas — Roger Goodell took one glance at Jerry Jones, who was standing in the corner and quite literally over his shoulder in a hotel ballroom, when the question came about the very public flap over the NFL commissioner’s new contract.
Jones, the Dallas Cowboys owner, tried to delay the five-year extension that was finalized last week and could be worth $200 million.
“Jerry, do I look like I take it personally?” Goodell said, turning to address Jones, who grinned at the commish and winked.
This was all about business. Nothing personal. Or so they insist.
Jones may not have stalled the contract’s completion until the offseason, as he once envisioned, but as details of the deal were revealed Wednesday when owners met for league meetings — ironically, on Jones’ home turf — it appears that he achieved some measure of victory in that 90% of Goodell’s deal is tied to performance-based incentives.
As Jones told USA TODAY Sports, “There are no easy layups here, on his bonuses. He’s got to come in here and lead the division in high scoring.”
This may mean Goodell must sharpen his elbows in the paint to take home a lot of loot ... but he could lose significant power on his way to the hoop.
Jones called the commissioner’s power “antiquated” as he explained the need for changes to the NFL’s constitution. Furthermore, there will be additional oversight in the process that de- termines whether Goodell reaches incentives — they will be tied to factors likely to include league revenues, TV ratings and handling of off-field controversies — with the full body of ownership involved in the evaluation.
Until now, the compensation committee (expanded in recent years to six members and chaired by Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank) negotiated the contract and determined whether Goodell hit his incentives. Jones, who was added as an ad hoc member of that committee and then kicked off after he threatened to sue fellow owners, didn’t like that arrangement or that Goodell was empowered to select the chairman of the committee.
“Just by the nature of it, if you have one group set it up, it’s nice to have another group determine how to execute it,” said Jones.
That he and Goodell walked arm-inarm, all smiles, to the press conference following the meetings represented a striking photo op that expressed peace and unity. Just a few hours earlier, Jones and Blank had an even more impressive Kumbaya moment in the lobby of the resort hotel where the meetings were.
Last month, after Blank booted Jones off the compensation committee, the two owners wouldn’t even speak when both were on the field during warmups before their teams played at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Now here they were, literally hugging.
“Did you see any rift with us?” Jones told me a few minutes later, when I asked about that exchange.
Jones and Blank seemed eager enough to patch up their differences, and the Falcons owner trumpeted the fact that Goodell’s new deal was supported by Jones.
Still, Jones’ resistance to Goodell’s extension fueled intense discord among several owners who were incensed by Jones’ threatened lawsuit. That dissension could linger.
Add the ESPN report from early November that characterized Jones as threatening to “come after” Goodell for suspending Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott for six games, and some owners concluded that Jones crossed the line, even by his high-profile standards.
Wednesday, Jones addressed fellow owners about Goodell’s contract and reiterated his mission to have more power shifted from the commissioner to owners in matters regarding league operations. One owner estimated Jones talked for 40 minutes.
“A lot of bluster,” that owner told USA TODAY Sports, speaking on condition of anonymity because of sensitive nature of the issues.
“What did he accomplish?” Some owners disputed the notion that the new features of Goodell’s contract are linked to Jones’ opposition, contending that the wrinkles have been under consideration for some time. And some see Jones as eating crow because there was no full-blown airing out of the contract this week.
There’s also relief. Goodell’s contract drama — and the legal threats, backand-forth letters and body blows leaked in various news reports — amounted to another stain on the NFL’s image.
“I think we have the greatest entertainment product in America,” New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft told USA TODAY Sports. “And we lost focus on what’s really important.”
Jones is all for selling the league’s product and making money. But obviously, when it comes to paying Goodell, the devil is in the details.
“In a word, it’s accountability,” Jones said. “Not suggested accountability, but real accountability.”
And Roger can wink to that.