roger-goodell.jpg
USATSI

After nearly two decades on the job, Roger Goodell isn't done yet. On Tuesday, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said from the league's annual spring meeting that the longtime NFL commissioner is expected to finalize a multi-year contract extension that will through March of 2027. 

"It's just dotting the i's and crossing the t's, but it's done," Irsay said (via ESPN). "We still have to rubber stamp it so to speak, but it's virtually done."

Other team owners, like the Dallas Cowboys' Jerry Jones and the Atlanta Falcons' Arthur Blank, also discussed the impending extension.

"There's definitely progress being made," Blank said (via The Washington Post)

Talking to reporters following the league's two-day meeting in Minneapolis, Goodell expressed confidence that a deal will get done.

"When it's extended, we'll let you know. It's not extended today, that's for sure," Goodell said Tuesday. "I have a year left. ... I love the job. I have no doubt that we'll reach that point at some point, but when we do, I will let you know." 

The Colts' owner also floated the possibility of Goodell spinning part of his responsibilities off to someone else in the league office as he ages. However, the commissioner noted these are suggestions that have come up each time he has been up for a new deal and that there have been no changes to his role.

"It's something that has come up," Goodell said. "So this will be when I retire, it'll be the third transition that I've been through as commissioner. That discussion has come up on every single one of those. I have no doubt it will come up again. It's a healthy discussion to have, the job changes over the years. It's changed even while I have been commissioner. So I know that we will have those discussions at the appropriate time."

Goodell, 64, has been commissioner since 2006. He previously earned contract extensions in 2009, 2012 and 2017, according to Sports Illustrated, but his current deal -- a five-year agreement reportedly worth up to $200 million -- is scheduled to expire in March 2024. He's reportedly been preparing to seek an extension since last summer, despite former NFL executive Joe Lockhart once indicating that Goodell's most recent contract would be his last.

Goodell is already the second-longest-tenured commissioner in NFL history, ahead of predecessor Paul Tagliabue (1989-2006) and behind only Pete Rozelle (1960-1989). Some around the league thought the longtime league executive would retire after the completion of the 2020 collective bargaining agreement between league owners and the NFL Players Association.

Goodell has recently overseen multiple lucrative sales of NFL franchises, including the Broncos in 2022 and the Panthers in 2018. He's also expected to oversee the sale of the Commanders, who rebranded under his watch. Perhaps most notably, Goodell led the NFL through the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the league did not miss a single scheduled game.