Report: Roger Goodell is negotiating yet another…

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When Commissioner Roger Goodell signed his most recent contract in late 2017, former NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart made the mistake of publicly declaring that the deal running through 2024 would be Goodell’s last one.

More than four years later, Lockhart is long gone — and Goodell is negotiating another contract.

Via John Ourand and Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal, Goodell and the league currently are working on a new deal, and it “likely” will be finalized in the coming months. It will be his fourth new contract since getting the job in 2006.

“He’s at the top of his game right now,” an unnamed owner told SBJ regarding Goodell, who turns 63 tomorrow. “Why would we want him walking out the door?”

The other problem for the league, as noted by the report, is the absence of a clear successor. Coincidentally (or not), names that begin to draw buzz as potential Commissioner material end up leaving the league. In recent years, Tod Leiweke, Dean Blandino, Mary Ann Turcke, and Chris Halpin went from generating whispers regarding their potential to run the show to running (or being run) out the door.

Currently, the league is embroiled in multiple controversies. The fact that the owners would extend his stay with so many potentially troubling issues unresolved underscores the fact that there’s no clear alternative to captain the ship.

The SBJ also report hints at something we’ve mentioned before (and that is covered in Playmakers, my new book that’s coming out in three weeks and four days and could end up going out of stock so you should order now if you haven’t and no that’s not a marketing ploy OK maybe it is a little bit but it’s still true). The next Commissioner may need to be a more traditional CEO. The business is simply too big and too complicated to promote a current executive or to pluck someone from one of the teams or one of the law firms that know the league’s business intimately.

Goodell reportedly makes $65 million per year. Much of that compensation comes from the fact that he serves as the pin cushion for owners who prefer not to be scrutinized and/or criticized for unpopular or controversial policies and practices. Goodell, as he demonstrated in October when grilled about the ongoing Washington Commanders scandal, will keep a straight and stern face while offering up oft-implausible responses to tough questions, powering through, moving on, and taking the heat from media who see the obvious flaws in his explanations.

With more and more storm clouds gathering, the owners need someone who will serve as a steady and reliable mouthpiece. Someone who will say what needs to be said in order to best manage the various boiling pots. Goodell has demonstrated that he knows how to do it. Until they find someone else who won’t fold under questioning, the NFL needs Goodell more than Goodell needs the NFL.