Roger Goodell has made a lot of money over the last two years. According to the New York Times, the NFL commissioner has pulled in nearly $130 million in a two-year span. As mentioned by CBS Sports, Goodell’s salary has been a secret over the past six years. However, his recent pay was revealed during the NFL owners meeting on Wednesday.
During a session at the meeting, a slide was shown that revealed Goodell’s pay, and sources told the Times what the exact number was. Goodell earned $63,900,050 per year in the past two years. It was noted that Goodell’s pay is that it’s mostly made up of bonuses, with more than 90% of his earnings coming from bonus money. One big reason Goodell had large salaries in two years is the NFL getting a new CBA signed in March 2020 and getting the networks to agree to a new media deal that will pay out a total of $113 billion between now and 2033.
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Goodell’s pay wasn’t always a secret. The NFL previously held tax-exempt status, which means anyone could look up Goodell’s salary using public records. The league dropped the status in 2015. According to the Action Network, Goodell made a total of $375 million since becoming commissioner inf 2006. In 2015, Goodell made $32 million.
In 2020, Goodell didn’t have a salary. He revealed that he is giving up his $40 million salary and will cut employees’ pay due to the economic fallout during the COVID-19 pandemic. “While we continue to prepare for a full 2020 season of NFL football, we also need to manage in a responsible way, adopting a flexible approach that responds to the current conditions in a way that minimizes the risk to our employees, our clubs, and the NFL’s business,” Goodell wrote in the memo.
Goodell is working under a five-year contract that lasts through 2023. The 62-year-old took over for Paul Tagliabue in 2006 and was chosen to be commissioner over four finalists. Goodell began his career in 1982 as an administrative intern in the league office in New York under then-commissioner Pete Rozelle. He worked his way up the ladder, holding various NFL positions, including executive vice president and chief operating officer.
