Roger Goodell has been the NFL Commissioner since 2006, when he took over for Paul Tagliabue. While he hasn’t been the most popular figure among fans, he has led the league’s continued growth and economic boom.
He’s proven to the league’s owners that he can move the game forward, and they rewarded Goodell with a three-year contract extension in 2023. Let’s take a look at his salary and net worth.
Examining Roger Goodell’s NFL Salary and Net Worth
Goodell has routinely been one of the highest-paid sports executives since being named NFL Commissioner. His contract has been extended four times in his tenure: 2009, 2012, 2017, and 2023.
The details of his contract are not public, but The New York Times reported that he earned nearly $64 million per year for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 fiscal years. With that reported salary, Goodell would make more than the NFL’s highest-paid player, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
A recent SportsCasting article noted how much higher Goodell’s salary is compared to top executives from the other major sports leagues. MLB’s Rob Manfred makes $17.5 million per year, the NBA’s Adam Silver makes $10 million, and the NHL’s Gary Bettman (the longest tenured of the four) makes $9.5 million.
Goodell’s 2017 deal took effect in 2019 and was reportedly worth up to $200 million, with much of the money tied to meeting league goals. Given the NFL’s exponential global growth, he likely makes much more on his current deal.
The commissioner’s salary used to be a set figure agreed upon by the NFL’s owners (his bosses), but a dispute between Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the owners’ compensation committee led to his contract being restructured to feature significantly more performance-based bonuses rather than guaranteed salary, according to The Times.
Goodell’s deal runs through 2027, and, according to Forbes, the league is set to bring in at least $125.5 billion in broadcasting revenue over the next decade.
That report came out just after Amazon and YouTubeTV were added to the broadcasting mix, and before Netflix joined the party. Securing these deals should encourage league ownership to extend Goodell again.
As for Goodell’s net worth, it’s hard to get exact figures since his contract details aren’t public. However, he has an estimated net worth of $300 million.
Recently, there have been rumors that Goodell will likely sign another contract extension in the near future. Goodell is doing really well for himself, and it certainly seems he has another big payday coming soon.
