NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s proposed extension still is on track to get done despite the recent battle surrounding the negotiations, and many expect it to be completed at or before the owners’ Dec. 13 meeting in Dallas, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN.
Momentum to delay the deal has dissipated “meaningfully,” in the estimation of one league source.
If all the bonus criteria are achieved in the proposed new deal, Goodell’s total potential compensation could average about $40 million for each of the five years from 2019 to 2023, making it a five-year extension worth up to about $200 million, according to a source familiar with the deal.
The base salary is in the single-digit millions, according to a source. Roughly 85 percent of the total potential compensation package is comprised of bonuses, which would be subject to ownership approval and validation.
The Compensation Committee has focused on Goodell’s extension during its public feud with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, entrusting its law firm with the task of dealing with Jones’ attorney, David Boies.
But Jones’ next move is uncertain, and owners know that the longtime Cowboys owner cannot be underestimated. Jones is determined to impede, if not derail, these extension talks.
Even if Goodell does finalize his extension, there is expected to be fallout from this very public flight. Some league officials think it could weaken the commissioner, while others aren’t as sure. Some wonder if it will further impact sponsors and fans, some of whom already have been turned off by players protesting during the national anthem.
But if the Goodell-Jones controversy has done nothing else, it has taken the spotlight off the anthem issue.
Jones has threatened to sue the NFL is Goodell’s extension is approved by the Compensation Committee, which consists of six owners. Jones was removed as a non-voting seventh member of the committee after his threat of a lawsuit.
Jones also has been upset with how the league handled Ezekiel Elliott‘s six-game suspension for violating the personal conduct policy, even though the Cowboys running back was not charged by authorities in Columbus, Ohio, after an accusation of domestic violence.
Sources: Goodell deal done in coming weeks
Sources: Goodell deal done in coming weeks
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Source: ESPN SPORTS