Roger Goodell Set to Double Rodgers, Brady in Career Earnings

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s tenure as the head of the most popular league in American sports began in 2006, six years after Tom Brady became a member of the New England Patriots and one year after Aaron Rodgers joined the Packers in Green Bay.

But, with Goodell expected to sign a three-year extension that will run until the spring of 2027 at the league’s regularly scheduled October meeting or soon after, he is on track to retire with more than $700 million in career earnings from the NFL, according to Front Office Sports.

If that figure is accurate and Goodell retires at the age of 68 when his extension is up, he’ll have banked more than double what Rodgers ($342,496,898) or Brady ($332,962,392) took home in career NFL earnings.

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It seems like somewhat of a ridiculous sum to pay someone who essentially just carries out the wishes of the 32 franchises that pay his salary, but Goodell has been in his role while the league has enjoyed unprecedented financial growth, whether he’s had much to do with it or not. After seeing national revenue grow by 12% two years ago, the NFL saw another 7.8% jump in 2022 to $11.98 billion, per ProFootballTalk. This trajectory has led Goodell to set a goal of $25 billion in total annual revenue by 2027, the year his extension would expire — if he gets it.

“You just know it’s going to get done, and you don’t worry about it,” a source told The Washington Post. “Do the owners still want him? The answer is yes. Does Roger still want to be there? The answer is yes. It’s no problem.”

Goodell, who replaced Paul Tagliabue when he retired after nearly 17 years at the helm of the NFL, should get his contract as 31 of the league’s 32 owners voted to authorize the league’s compensation committee to negotiate an extension about a year ago. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was the lone dissenter.

In April, Goodell expressed optimism a deal would get done. “The good news is I love the job and I love what I’m doing,” he said. “We have talked about an extension and we’ll work towards that. If that’s possible, then great. If not, I’ve been really fortunate to be in this job.”

Considering Goodell will likely end up taking home more money from the NFL than a pair of Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks who have eight Super Bowl wins and seven MVP awards between them, that may be somewhat of an understatement. Goodell’s current annual salary is believed to be nearly $64 million.