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- Negotiations between Roger Goodell and NFL owners regarding the extension of the commissioner's contract have been tense.
- According to new reports, Goodell's latest counterproposal includes an annual salary of almost $50 million and lifetime use of a private jet.
- Some owners that spoke with ESPN believe the deal to be too expensive to accept.
The negotiations for Roger Goodell's contract extension as commissioner of the NFL have been noisier than expected.
At first, it seemed almost a given that Goodell would stay on as commissioner. But Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has opposed the extension and even threatened to sue the league and some of his fellow owners. It became clear that the negotiations would not be simple.
New details have emerged from reports by ESPN's Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen regarding Goodell's latest counterproposal to the league. According to ESPN sources familiar with the negotiations, Goodell reportedly filed a counterproposal in August. The proposal included an approximate salary of around $49.5 million per year, lifetime use of a private jet, and lifetime health insurance for his family. Joe Lockhart, executive vice president of communications of the NFL, denied that Goodell submitted such a proposal.
The report came after previous reports that Goodell was unhappy with the league's initial offer, which offered to shift much of the commissioner's salary to performance-based incentives.
Goodell's demands may be part of the reason that Jones and other owners have been hesitant to move forward with the deal. One anonymous owner voiced his displeasure with the deal to ESPN, saying: "[There are] several owners in this league who don't make $40 million a year. That number for Roger just seems too much. It's offensive. It's unseemly."