NFL extends Roger Goodell for five years with exceptions

The NFL has finally extended their commissioner, Roger Goodell, after months of bickering and threats of lawsuits. The deal however isn’t guaranteed and fans may have a hand in how it plays out.

After months of back and forth the owners tasked with a new extension finally agreed to a new contract extension that will give Goodell another five years worth up to $500 million. The numbers however are more in line with a players contract than his previous contract.

Under Goodell’s current deal his money is guaranteed but under the extension the NFL as a business much reach certain financial milestones in order to generate the maximum financial amount. His base salary will only be around $40 million.

NFL owners want to make sure that their golden egg doesn’t become a Willie Wonka “bad” egg and end up spiraling down into the trash heap. With discord among fans and ratings drops, NFL owners are wanting to make sure that the business continues to grow.

This will be interesting when the current CBA ends in 2021. Goodell will now be the commissioner to oversee the next collective bargaining agreement negotiations. Recently the NFLPA opted to keep DeMaurice Smith as the acting director of the NFLPA which will now pit the two adversaries against each other once again.

The NFLPA has issued notices in the past to players. Those notices have stated that players should plan for a work stoppage in 2021 or at the very least prepare financially to endure one should it happen. A work stoppage could be a tipping point for fans who are currently on the fence about leaving the NFL all together.

From referee inconsistencies to over saturation of the game, health issues for players and a growing number of fans who are staying away over protests and quality of play, the NFL is entering a very tense situation as the league moves closer to the CBA deadline.

Fans come into play because if more continue to exit becoming more casual fans the NFL will suffer. Continued ratings drops will not help negotiations with network renewals. Stadiums are also feeling the pinch where fans are simply turning away.

Correction: This article was updated due to an error in annual salary. It now reflects 40 million instead of 4 million.

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In Los Angeles the Rams and Chargers have failed to completely fill their stadiums and the Chargers are playing in a stadium that holds only around 30,000. A rumor circulated on Wednesday that the Bills/Colts game this weekend was selling after market tickets in the $4.00 range. This is not a sign of continued growth.

In Miami a video surfaced on Twitter yesterday of a Dolphins season ticket holder being told by stadium staff that they needed to remain seated due to a complaint from someone behind them. That fan asked how they were supposed to cheer for their team or the “on field product” from a seated position. He ended the conversation with a “likely not to renew”.

These are issues that face not only stadium officials and team owners and CEO’s but also contribute to lower attendance and rating drops. Poor play doesn’t help either.

The 2017 season has been plagued by vague and phantom penalties, missed calls, errant calls, and that has turned off fans as well. Add to that the leagues inability to determine what a catch is, how to use replay efficiently, and overall drop in league wide performance and Goodell’s next five years will be tough.

Goodell has a lot of things that need to be fixed with the league and he has an ego issue that needs to be put into check. Goodell, who became commissioner in 2006 has grown the NFL financially since but he is on the precipice of watching it crumble as well.

The NFL is a huge business and it is not going to fall but it very well could start earning less money than it currently does. That is something the NFL owners won’t accept and it could in the end, cost Goodell some of that $500 million.

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