NFL Extends Commissioner Goodell's Contract

The NFL has extended commissioner Roger Goodell's contract through the 2018-19 season, the league announced Wednesday.

Goodell, 52, has served as the league's top official since being voted in to succeed longtime commissioner Paul Tagliabue upon his retirement in 2006.

"I speak on behalf of 32 NFL club owners in saying we are fortunate to have Roger Goodell as our commissioner," Atlanta Falcons owner and chairman of the NFL Compensation Committee Arthur Blank said in a statement.

"Since becoming commissioner in 2006, the NFL -- already the leader in professional sports -- has gotten even stronger. As evidenced by this contract extension, we have great confidence in Roger's vision and leadership of the NFL," Blank said.

Owners voted unanimously in December to authorize the Compensation Committee to negotiate an extension of Goodell's contract, which was set to expire in March 2014.

The completed deal comes at the tail end of an NFL season that almost failed to take place due to the previous off-season's labor dispute.

Goodell presided over more than four months of negotiations with the NFL Players Association, eventually coming to terms on a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement, saving the 2011-12 season and securing a decade of labor peace.

"It is a privilege for me to serve the NFL," Goodell said in a statement. "It is the only place I have ever wanted to work. I am grateful for the contributions and counsel of NFL owners in managing our league, the talented staff that supports us and the players and coaches that perform their magic on the field."

According to the most recently available tax records, obtained by Sports Business Journal, Goodell earns $10 million annually.