Report: NFL owners rewarded Roger Goodell in new contract

The NFL announced a five-year contract extension for commissioner Roger Goodell last month and by the time the deal is done he could be earning north of $20 million annually.

Daniel Kaplan of Sports Business Journal reports that the contract is expected to bring him in line with what other longtime commissioners like Major League Baseball’s Bud Selig earns.

“If you compare (Goodell) to any of the other commissioners in other sports, we think he would rank very high in that group, and he needs to be compensated on that basis,” Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank told Kaplan.

In the NFL’s most current tax filings, Goodell was earning nearly $10 million per year. Per the report, Selig was earning $18.35 million as recently as October 2007. Since, MLB has made moves to conceal its compensation for top executives.

The new deal for Goodell will carry through March 2019, and he is being rewarded for guiding the NFL through the lockout and to labor peace for the foreseeable future.

“His interests are not in being loved by everybody but respected by a lot of people,” said Blank, also the co-founder of The Home Depot. “He is loved by a lot of people … but first and foremost, he is respected.”

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune