Apr 1, 2025; Palm Beach, FL, USA;  NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addresses the media at the NFL Annual League Meeting at The Breakers. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Roger Goodell discusses playoff re-seeding, Olympic flag football

While the tabling of a vote to ban the “tush push” hogged the headlines Tuesday at the NFL annual meeting, commissioner Roger Goodell addressed other topics ranging from a proposal to change playoff seeding to flag football in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Goodell said discussions with franchises and the NFL Players Association about NFL participation in the Olympics are on the horizon.

He said he’s heard from several players enthusiastic about playing in the 2028 Games, when flag football will make its debut as an event.

“I think that’s something that we’ll continue discussions with not just the union, but also the clubs,” Goodell said. “I think both of those are things that will probably resolve sometime in the next 60 days.”

Goodell had also floated the idea of the NFL establishing a professional flag football league when speaking at the Super Bowl in February. There were no concrete updates Tuesday on the development of such a league, but the topic was tied back into the Olympics.

“I do think that the Olympics is a critical moment for us in the flag development on a global basis,” Goodell said. “Listen, the Olympics are the pinnacle of international sport, and for us to be able to participate in that, to have both men’s and women’s flag teams participating from around the world, is a significant moment for us.

“So there is a lot of lead-up to that in the qualifications and how that happens, so that is clearly inspiring some of the work.”

In the near term, one league rule change that didn’t pass but could gain traction was the Detroit Lions’ proposal to change playoff seeding. The Lions wanted wild-card teams to be seeded above division winners with inferior records.

Goodell called it a “very healthy proposal” and said he could see a world where division winners with sub-.500 records do not receive home-field advantage for the first round.

“There’s great data to show that we should really look at some form of this,” Goodell said.

Goodell also declined to discuss the league’s investigation into Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, who stands accused by 16 massage therapists of inappropriate sexual conduct.

“I haven’t gotten an update but I know the review is ongoing,” Goodell said. “We won’t be giving updates but when we have something, we’ll certainly share it with everyone.”

–Field Level Media

Feb 3, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during a press conference ahead of Super Bowl LIX at New Orleans Saints Locker Room. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Roger Goodell: NFL ‘better’ because of diversity protocols

NEW ORLEANS — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell rates NOLA as the perfect Super Bowl host but envisions taking the league’s marquee event beyond U.S. borders.

“I do think there’s a potential that someday we’ll have an international franchise,” Goodell said Monday afternoon in the Saints’ locker room at Caesars Superdome, set up for use by temporary tenants, the Philadelphia Eagles. “We do like to have — being here in New Orleans, this is a great thing for the New Orleans Saints. Have the world’s attention. I think the same would be true of an international franchise.”

Prior to last year’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas, Goodell publicly embraced moving to a shorter preseason — currently three games per team — and expanding the regular season from 17 to 18 games to meet overwhelming interest from fans. Goodell said the NFL and NFLPA haven’t had formal negotiating sessions around expanding the regular season, which must be collectively bargained with players.

But the league definitely believes “18 and 2 might be a possibility,” Goodell said, without disclosing a specific timeframe for the shift.

“The (18-game discussion will) come up in the context of the broader CBA issues. It will be part of the formal discussions (with the NFLPA),” Goodell said.

“We were able to do that when we moved to 17 games back in 2020. This year, the data on safety has been extraordinary on player safety and injuries. Concussions are at a historically low level this year. … I think all of those are factors in, how do we look at the offseason?”

Goodell said the NFL continues to follow up with minority candidates regarding the “sincerity” of coaching interviews called into question recently under the “Rooney Rule” requirement for minorities to be included in team searches for coach and GM vacancies. Asked about the Trump Administration making efforts to dismantle diversity and inclusion protocol in corporations and federal hiring, Goodell said the NFL is continuing those efforts “because it does make the NFL better.”

“We see that. We see how it’s benefited the National Football League,” Goodell said. “So many of us, including the National Football League and our office, are doing that voluntarily because it has benefitted our company.

“I am proud of it in this sense: I believe our diversity efforts have made the NFL better. We think we’re better when we get different perspectives.”

Goodell was seated on a makeshift stage with emcee Curt Menefee of FOX separated by the Lombardi Trophy and helmets of the Super Bowl LIX teams.

On the field Sunday, the Chiefs are chasing a historic third consecutive Super Bowl victory while some fans and corners of social media are convinced Kansas City is receiving the benefit of favor from officials. Goodell said the NFL sees and hears complaints about officiating but denied there’s any legitimacy to the theory the league “scripts” or prefers that the Chiefs succeed.

“From a lot of those theories are things that happen in social media and they get a new life,” Goodell said. “Nobody wants it to be their theory. I understand it. I think it reflects a lot of the fans’ passion. … That’s a ridiculous theory for anyone that might take it seriously.”

New Orleans serves as the host city for a league record-tying 11th time on Sunday. Goodell and the league applauded renovations to the Superdome as the centerpiece of the headline event in pro sports.

“Obviously the stadium is a big part of that, the stage … we realize this is a place that is sort of perfect for the Super Bowl,” Goodell said.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes attempts to win his fourth Super Bowl ring on Sunday, which would still be three shy of record-holder Tom Brady.

Brady is on the call of the game Sunday with FOX in his first season as the featured game analyst on the network’s No. 1 team with Kevin Burkhardt. Brady’s presence in a dual role since he was approved as minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders has connected him more closely than most know to Goodell.

“He calls frequently,” Goodell said of Brady, his infamous ‘Deflategate’ rival. “To ask, ‘Am I doing OK?’”

The league reiterated Monday that Brady is “still subject to tampering rules and held accountable for that” after new Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said Brady is integrally involved in the team’s football operation.

“In the case of this actual transition, we had special rules for this,” Goodell said of Brady’s role as owner and access-holding broadcaster. “That’s something we’ll obviously consider in the offseason — should that policy be adjusted? Right now, Tom has been incredibly cooperative.”

–The NFL has two franchises in Los Angeles — the Rams and Chargers — and will play the Super Bowl at their home stadium in two years. Goodell said the league intends to be “good corporate citizens but also to lead” in the rebuilding process that could take years in some communities.

Five NFL employees lost their homes in the fires.

“The NFL is going to be there to support that,” the commissioner said. “It’s also going to be there to support our platform — give attention and focus to a community or issue that we all need to be aware of. … We’ll want to be part of that and rebuilding L.A. as soon as possible.”

–Goodell celebrated Louisiana on Monday becoming the 15th state to legally recognize girls high school flag football as an official sport. He said there is significant interest from the NFL and beyond to establish a “professional flag football league.”

–Jeff Reynolds, Field Level Media

Feb 3, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during a press conference ahead of Super Bowl LIX at New Orleans Saints Locker Room. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Roger Goodell open to international Super Bowl, 18-game season

NEW ORLEANS — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell rates NOLA as the perfect Super Bowl host but envisions taking the league’s marquee event beyond U.S. borders.

“I do think there’s a potential that someday we’ll have an international franchise,” Goodell said Monday afternoon in the Saints’ locker room at Caesars Superdome, set up for use by temporary tenants, the Philadelphia Eagles. “We do like to have — being here in New Orleans, this is a great thing for the New Orleans Saints. Have the world’s attention. I think the same would be true of an international franchise.”

Prior to last year’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas, Goodell publicly embraced moving to a shorter preseason — currently three per team — and expanding the regular season from 17 to 18 games to meet overwhelming interest from fans. Goodell said the NFL and NFLPA haven’t had formal negotiating sessions around expanding the regular season, which must be collectively bargained with players.

But the league definitely believes “18 and 2 might be a possibility,” Goodell said, without disclosing a specific timeframe for the shift.

“The (18-game discussion will) come up in the context of the broader CBA issues. It will be part of the formal discussions (with the NFLPA),” Goodell said.

“We were able to do that when we moved to 17 games back in 2020. This year, the data on safety has been extraordinary on player safety and injuries. Concussions are at a historically low level this year. … I think all of those are factors in, how do we look at the offseason?”

Goodell said the NFL continues to follow up with minority candidates regarding the “sincerity” of coaching interviews called into question recently under the “Rooney Rule” requirement for minorities to be included in team searches for coach and GM vacancies.

Asked about the Trump Administration making efforts to dismantle diversity and inclusion protocol in corporations and federal hiring, Goodell said the NFL is continuing those efforts “because it does make the NFL better.”

“We see that. We see how it’s benefited the National Football League,” Goodell said. “So many of us, including the National Football League and our office, are doing that voluntarily because it has benefitted our company.

“I am proud of it in this sense: I believe our diversity efforts have made the NFL better. We think we’re better when we get different perspectives.”

Goodell was seated on a makeshift stage with emcee Curt Menefee of FOX separated by the Lombardi Trophy and helmets of the Super Bowl LIX teams.

On the field Sunday, the Chiefs are chasing a historic third consecutive Super Bowl victory while some fans and corners of social media are convinced Kansas City is receiving the benefit of favor from officials. Goodell said the NFL sees and hears complaints about officiating but denied there’s any legitimacy to the theory the league “scripts” or prefers that the Chiefs succeed.

“From a lot of those theories are things that happen in social media and they get a new life,” Goodell said. “Nobody wants it to be their theory. I understand it. I think it reflects a lot of the fans’ passion. … That’s a ridiculous theory for anyone that might take it seriously.”

New Orleans serves as the host city for a league record-tying 11th time on Sunday. Goodell and the league applauded renovations to the Superdome as the centerpiece of the headline event in pro sports.

“Obviously the stadium is a big part of that, the stage … we realize this is a place that is sort of perfect for the Super Bowl,” Goodell said.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes attempts to win his fourth Super Bowl ring on Sunday, which would still be three shy of record-holder Tom Brady.

Brady is on the call of the game Sunday with FOX in his first season as the featured game analyst on the network’s No. 1 team with Kevin Burkhardt. Brady’s presence in a dual role since he was approved as minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders has connected him more closely than most know to Goodell.

“He calls frequently,” Goodell said of Brady, his infamous ‘Deflategate’ rival. “To ask, ‘Am I doing OK?’”

The league reiterated Monday that Brady is “still subject to tampering rules and held accountable for that” after new Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said Brady is integrally involved in the team’s football operation.

“In the case of this actual transition, we had special rules for this,” Goodell said of Brady’s role as owner and access-holding broadcaster. “That’s something we’ll obviously consider in the offseason — should that policy be adjusted? Right now, Tom has been incredibly cooperative.”

–The NFL has two franchises in Los Angeles — the Rams and Chargers — and will play the Super Bowl at their home stadium in two years. Goodell said the league intends to be “good corporate citizens but also to lead” in the rebuilding process that could take years in some communities.

Five NFL employees lost their homes in the fires.

“The NFL is going to be there to support that,” the commissioner said. “It’s also going to be there to support our platform — give attention and focus to a community or issue that we all need to be aware of. … We’ll want to be part of that and rebuilding L.A. as soon as possible.”

–Goodell celebrated Louisiana on Monday becoming the 15th state to legally recognize girls high school flag football as an official sport. He said there is significant interest from the NFL and beyond to establish a “professional flag football league.”

–Jeff Reynolds, Field Level Media

Sep 6, 2024; Sao Paulo, BRA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell before a game in Brazil between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles at Neo Quimica Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Roger Goodell talks kickoff rules, Super Bowl outside U.S.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said on Saturday that the results of the new kickoff rules are “incredibly promising,” with just over 30 percent of kickoffs returned in 2024, up from 20 percent last season.

Speaking at a fan forum in London ahead of Sunday’s game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears, Goodell said kickoff drives – which started just past the 24-yard line in 2023 – are beginning just past the 29 this year.

“With that increase in returns, it’s giving us more data to determine whether we can do it more safely,” Goodell said. “It actually is incredibly promising. We’re seeing lower impacts that have led to less severe injuries and less number of injuries. So I think it’s working,”

Goodell anticipates the kickoff rules will undergo a bit of tweaking after this season to ensure player safety.

“I think what we’ll see ultimately is a change in the offseason,” he said. “Once we know it’s a safer play, it will encourage more kickoffs. That could happen in a couple of ways. You could move the kickoff line back, so that they can’t kick it out as easily. You could also say the penalty for kicking it out is going to go to the 35 instead of where we’re at, the 30.”

Along with discussing the kickoff rules, Goodell told the fan forum that holding a Super Bowl outside the U.S. for the first time is a possibility. He had previously dismissed the idea.

“We’ve always traditionally tried to play a Super Bowl in an NFL city,” he said. “That was always sort of a reward for the cities that have NFL franchises. But things change. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if that happens one day.”

If the NFL expands its regular season to 18 games, Goodell could see the league play 16 games per season outside the U.S. He expects the NFL to play games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, and Ireland in the near future. Madrid, Spain, is slated to host its first game in 2025.

–Field Level Media

Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell walks through the crowd during the 2024 NFL Draft at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Super Bowl holiday? Roger Goodell talks 18-game season, Presidents’ Day title game

Eliminating one week of preseason games, adding a week to the 17-game regular season and bumping the Super Bowl to a three-day weekend in February are all part of the long-term outlook of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Goodell said Friday in an interview with ESPN that the NFL could expand the league calendar.

“I think we’re good at 17 now. We’re looking at how we continue. I’m not a fan of the preseason. I don’t think we need three preseason games anymore,” Goodell said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I don’t buy it. I’d rather replace a preseason game with a regular season any day. That’s just picking quality, right? If we got to 18 (regular-season games) and two (preseason games per team), that’s not an unreasonable thing.

“The other thing that does: (the Super Bowl) ends up on Presidents’ Day weekend, which is a three-day weekend. Which makes (the Super Bowl) Sunday night and you’ve got Monday off.”

Previous attempts to push the regular season beyond the current 17 games — increased from 16 in 2021, when the preseason was reduced from four games to three — were met with stiff resistance by the NFLPA in recent years. In 2018, then-NFLPA president Eric Winston called Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ plan for 18 games as a “safer” alternative to four preseason weeks laughable.

The following offseason, the NFL and NFLPA held discussions about an 18-game regular season with players having a maximum participation allowance of 16 games. That plan also included the potential for adding a second bye week for every team.

–Field Level Media

Feb 5, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks at a press conference in advance of Super Bowl LVIII between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Madrid to host NFL regular-season game in 2025

The NFL will play a regular-season game in Madrid in 2025, the league announced Friday.

Spain’s capital city is the first new market to be confirmed for the 2025 International Games. Madrid will become the fourth European city to host a regular-season contest, joining London, Frankfurt (Germany) and Munich (Germany).

The game will be played at the iconic Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, home to Spanish soccer club Real Madrid C.F.

“Playing a game in Madrid in 2025 highlights the continued expansion of the league’s global footprint and the accelerated ambitions to take our game to more fans around the world,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. “We are proud to partner with Real Madrid C.F., a global brand, together with the City of Madrid and Comunidad de Madrid, to bring a spectacular regular season game to Spain at the world-class Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.”

Sao Paulo, Brazil, will host the first NFL regular-season game in South America during the upcoming season. The Philadelphia Eagles will face a yet-to-be determined opponent in Week 1 on Friday, Sept. 6.

–Field Level Media

Jan 21, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Taylor Swift reacts after Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (not pictured) scores a touchdown in the 2024 AFC divisional round game between against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Roger Goodell all for relationship between Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has attended two Taylor Swift concerts with his two daughters and his wife, but chances are, he never thought his status as a “Swiftie” would bleed over into the workplace.

But it has.

Swift has taken the NFL world by storm due to her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and Goodell had nothing but good things to say on Monday about the couple’s impact on football.

“Having the ‘Taylor Swift effect’ is also a positive,” Goodell told reporters. “Both Travis and Taylor are wonderful young people, and they seem very happy. She knows great entertainment, and I think that’s why she loves NFL football.

“Obviously, it creates a buzz. It creates another group of young fans, particularly young women, that are interested in seeing why she is going to this game, why she is interested in this game. Besides (her relationship with) Travis, she is a football fan, and I think that’s great for us.”

Kansas City beat the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship Game on Jan. 28, leading some fans to believe that the outcome was pre-planned in order to have Swift draw more viewers for the Super Bowl. The 14-time Grammy Award winner is expected to be in attendance when the Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, but Goodell made it clear that he is far from capable of cooking up such a storyline.

“I don’t think I’m that good of a scripter — or anybody on our staff,” Goodell said. “Listen, there is no way I could have scripted that one, let’s put it that way.”

Swift has been spotted at 12 of Kelce’s games this season, with Kansas City coming out on top in nine of them. She first attended the Chiefs’ 41-10 victory over the Chicago Bears back on Sept. 24.

Of course, there has been some backlash from the NFL’s focus on Swift over the past five months, but Goodell is hoping that she sticks around.

“I think anybody in this society, when they’re in a public position, (is) going to be subject to criticism,” Goodell said. “Taylor is obviously a dynamo. Everything she touches, there are people following. So we count ourselves fortunate and we welcome it.”

–Field Level Media

Feb 5, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks at a press conference in advance of Super Bowl LVIII between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Roger Goodell: Integrity ‘No. 1’ priority as legalized gambling expands

At his annual state of the league address Monday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the topic of gambling, with Super Bowl LVIII being held in the hotbed of betting — Las Vegas — on Sunday.

Speculation has increased regarding the integrity of the league given the NFL’s gambling partnerships with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings and FanDuel. However, the league has addressed the issue in recent years by updating and enforcing stricter gambling policies. Both players and league employees face consequences for gambling and are barred from gambling or visiting casinos during Super Bowl week.

“It’s our No. 1 objective: Gambling and outside of gambling, the integrity of our game is critical,” Goodell told reporters in the Las Vegas Raiders’ locker room, site of his news conference. “And so we spend a lot of time focusing on that: educating, making sure that all of our personnel are aware of our gambling policies in this case or any other policy that can affect the integrity of our game. Ultimately, that’s our primary job.”

Goodell told reporters he believed 25 league and team personnel violated the NFL’s gambling violations but didn’t reveal whether all were fired or what type of discipline they faced. The commissioner added that approximately 13 players had been disciplined.

The commissioner said that betting on an NFL game could result in termination for a league office employee. Per the latest gambling policy, players receive a one-year suspension for betting on the league and a two-year suspension for betting on their team.

Regarding players betting on other sports, first-time offenders will be suspended two games without pay, second-time offenders six games and third-time offenders at least a one-year suspension.

“We take this incredibly seriously,” Goodell said. “We understand the risk. We did not make the decision. Ultimately the decision was a decision by the Supreme Court: They legalized sports betting. We have to adapt. We have to embrace it. We have been cautious. We have been very thoughtful, I think, in our approach. But we know the risk, and protecting the integrity is No. 1.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 7, 2023; London, United Kingdom; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell at the NFL Experience London at the Battersea Power Station. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

NFL extends commissioner Roger Goodell through March 2027

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell received a three-year contract extension through March 2027, the league announced Wednesday.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed by the NFL.

Goodell, 64, reportedly made $63.9 million per year in 2020 and 2021. His new deal is expected to be incentive-laden and likely the most lucrative given to any commissioner based on the league’s financial success with respect to its recent media rights deals.

The Compensation Committee updated the league’s owners on Wednesday that an agreement had been reached for Goodell, who now has received four extensions since taking over for Paul Tagliabue in September 2006. The previous extensions were 2009, 2012 and 2017.

–Field Level Media

Sep 7, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is interviewed prior to a game between the Detroit Lions and the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Roger Goodell denies Jim Trotter claims, vows to investigate

Roger Goodell says the NFL is making progress in diversity hiring and the commissioner said the league disputes claims raised in former NFL Media writer Jim Trotter’s lawsuit.

“I have a lot of respect for Jim,” Goodell said in an ESPN interview Wednesday. “A lot of our media business is going through changes. We dispute, obviously, his claims. We feel strongly about the progress we’re making.”

Among those claims, Trotter alleges his departure from NFL Media was retaliatory and racially motivated. Trotter, who is Black, claimed his employment at NFL Media ended earlier this year after he “challenged Commissioner Roger Goodell … regarding the NFL’s record of race discrimination and lack of diversity” at Goodell’s pre-Super Bowl press conference. NFL Media is owned and operated by the league.

NFL Network also is named as a defendant in the suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Goodell said economics impacted multiple decisions within the league media flow chart. He said the league would investigate claims in the suit, but denied vehemently Tuesday that Bills owner Terry Pegula and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones both made racist comments.

“Our job is to make sure that they’re factual,” Goodell said in an interview with ESPN. “These are not new charges. They’re actually a couple of years old. They’ve been looked into. You’ve heard the strong denials. There’s litigation ongoing now. It will be addressed because these are important issues and we share the same concerns. We want to make sure our workplaces are first class and that means opportunities for everybody. We know the importance of progress in diversity and we’re working very hard at it. Is progress where we want it to be? No, it’s always slower than you want it to be but I’m confident we’re moving in the right direction.”

–Field Level Media