How Roger Goodell Could Have Around $1 Billion in Career Earnings After New Contract Extension as NFL Commissioner

Roger Goodell reached an agreement on a four-year contract extension. Goodell will remain the NFL Commissioner until 2031.

The compensation committee headed by the New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft sent a memo to concerned parties across the league. The value of the deal was not disclosed in the memo. However, the memo revealed that Goodell’s extension is bonus-heavy, with more than 95% of the total compensation tied to the 67-year-old and the NFL’s performance metrics.

Goodell came into power in 2007. According to Kurt Badenhusen of Sportico, Goodell roughly earned around $212.5 million during his first 10 years at the helm. His salary since then has not been disclosed.

A New York Times article suggested that Goodell made nearly $128 million for the 2019 and 2020 seasons combined. Per Badenhusen’s calculations, Goodell will cross $1 billion in earnings when the contract period ends in 2031.

$1 billion for Goodell is a blip compared to NFL owners. Team values are up $270 billion since 2006. https://t.co/u9vlfFAyr8

— Kurt Badenhausen (@kbadenhausen) September 7, 2026

A brief history of Roger Goodell’s tenure as NFL Commissioner

Paul Tagliabue served as the league commissioner from 1989 to 2006. That year, club owners voted to determine the next commissioner.

Goodell and Gregg Levy were the two candidates. Goodell led Levy by 17-14 after the first three ballots and increased his lead to 21–10 after the fourth ballot, falling one vote shy of election. In the fifth round, two owners swung their votes in Goodell’s favor, thus achieving a two-thirds majority. Only the Oakland Raiders (Las Vegas Raiders) abstained.

Goodell took charge of the office on September 1, 2006. Since then, he has dealt with several infringements. He has issued punishments to players who used banned substances. Nearly a year into his reign, Goodell disciplined the New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady for their involvement in the Deflategate scandal.

In 2011, Goodell worked with NFL owners and the NFLPA during the infamous NFL lockout. During this time, Goodell held conference calls with season-ticket holders to discuss the collective bargaining agreement.

In 2012, the New Orleans Saints were fined $500,000 and forced to forfeit draft capital after head coach Sean Payton was accused of arranging bounties on players during the season.

A year later, Goodell and the NFL reached a $765 million settlement with the former NFL players over head injuries. Former players can receive treatment for several conditions, such as Lou Gehrig’s disease and CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy).

Goodell has also worked tirelessly to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. In the aftermath of the death of George Floyd and the black lives matters protest, the NFL promoted the tradition of camaraderie even more.

For his humanitarian work, Goodell was awarded the third-highest civilian honor for substantial contributions to the US Army community.

In 2020, Goodell opened the doors of the NFL to the world of streaming. As fans weren’t allowed to attend games, the NFL teamed up with Amazon Prime to stream the San Francisco 49ers rivalry game against the Arizona Cardinals. Per league data, approximately 11.2 million viewers watched the game. Piggybacking on this trend, streaming giants Peacock, Paramount, and Netflix have also bid for the rights to various NFL games. Even ESPN recently launched its own streaming platform to take a slice of the viewership pie.

Goodell’s vision of making football a global phenomenon is the worst-kept secret. Although the first overseas NFL game took place two years before Goodell assumed power, football has reached a wider audience during his tenure. The NFL has played games in England, Brazil, Spain, Germany, and on September 10, Australia will host its first-ever NFL game at the iconic MCG.

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