This week, Roger Goodell will be in Canton for the annual distribution of a fresh set of gold jackets. (He’ll eventually get one, too, given that his two predecessors — Pete Rozelle and Paul Tagliabue — are in the Hall of Fame.)
As to Goodell, the more important word than “predecessor” is “successor.” With a new contract expected to eventually supplant a deal that expires in March 2027, the question is lingering as to who will take the wheel when Goodell’s autograph exits The Duke.
In an item for Front Office Sports, Mark Maske (formerly of the Washington Post) listed 11 potential candidates for the job: PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, NFL executive V.P. of club business, major events, and international Peter O’Reilly; NFL general counsel Ted Ullyot; NFL management council general counsel Larry Ferazini; NFL CFO Christine Dorfler; NFL chief revenue officer Renie Anderson; NFL executive V.P. of media distribution Hans Schroeder; Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren; Rams president Kevin Demoff; SoFi CEO Anthony Noto; and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
My immediate thought based on the list was “none of the above,” mainly because I personally believe Goodell, 67, will stay until the current candidates will likely be too old to step into a job that has seen only two transitions since Rozelle was hired in 1960. Given the long tenures of the last three Commissioners, the owners presumably will want to find someone who will be good enough to do the job well, and young enough to do the job for a long time.
But if, say, Goodell and the owners reach an impasse in their negotiations and he leaves, Maske’s list provides a potential starting point. Based on our own poking around, Rolapp, O’Reilly, and Dorfler would be the most likely candidates from Maske’s 11. Anderson would be a serious candidate, too, if she truly wanted the job and everything that goes along with it.
Demoff and Noto would be possibilities. Noto, as we hear it, may have to unruffle feathers tracing to what some perceive as a less-than-graceful exit from 345 (which was 280 at the time).
Here are a couple of others to watch, who weren’t on Maske’s list: NFL Media senior V.P. David Jurenka and Endeavor/TKO president Mark Shapiro.
Also, it would not be Adam Silver. “Never” is the word that was used. Also, “zero-point-zero chance.”
As Maske notes, one potential outcome would be to hire a CEO who would run the entire business and a football czar who would report to the CEO. Years ago, we heard that the ongoing growth of the NFL may require that; the late Jim Irsay was the first owner to speak publicly about that possibility.
That’s an issue for down the road, if Goodell hangs around beyond his current deal and, possibly if not likely, the next one and, possibly, the next one. He could do the job until his 80th birthday, if he wanted and if his health permits it. He could possibly do it into his 80s. (At this point in his life, what else would he do?)
Frankly, the biggest takeaway from Maske’s snapshot of candidates is that there isn’t an obvious short list of can’t-miss replacements. Which gives Goodell a little more leverage in the ongoing talks — especially with most of the broadcast deals expiring in 2030 and the Collective Bargaining Agreement terminating in 2031.
