Roger Goodell has been through a lot in his time as NFL commissioner. He’s overcome a potential lockout and navigated returning to the field after the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s helped grow the game on an international level, including regular-season matchups in London and Germany. He inked a new broadcast deal in 2021 worth about $110 billion. Most recently, he’s capitalized on the popularity of Taylor Swift in introducing new fans to the sport.
The NFL owners think he’s done a great job with all that, so they agreed to give Goodell a new three-year contract to keep him as NFL commissioner through March 2027. The deal is worth a reported $200 million, including bonuses, and will push Goodell’s total earnings as commissioner to about $700 million.
For comparison, Aaron Rodgers is the NFL’s highest earner. Since joining the league in 2005, Rodgers has made a shade under $342.5 million. Goodell’s career earnings have been more than double that amount.
Here’s why the owners feel Goodell has been worth that steep cost.
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The season before Goodell became commissioner, the NFL made $6.16 billion in revenue. The league has increased in revenue every season since (except for the 2020 season, which was impacted by COVID-19), with a massive jump over the past decade.
In 2012, the NFL finished with a revenue of $9.17 billion. By 2022, that revenue more than doubled, reaching a whopping $18.6 billion. The league is projected to hit $20 billion this year, and Goodell has a goal of $25 billion by 2027.
Goodell has already increased the league’s revenue by $12.5 billion in 16 years. By 2027, that number will have reached $18.84 billion, assuming the league hits exactly $25 billion by 2027.
In the grand scheme of things, Goodell’s career earnings of $700 million amount to a mere 3.72% of the $18.84 billion he’s brought to the league. No wonder the owners want to keep him around a little longer — he’s helped them earn a ton of money.
Goodell turns 65 in February and will be 68 at the end of the contract. But he hasn’t definitively said he’s planning to retire after this deal.
And why would he? By the next time he has to negotiate, he may be able to reach $1 billion in career earnings. That’s an impressive milestone.
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