NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL expects a five-year contract extension with Commissioner Roger Goodell to be finalized soon, despite a threatened lawsuit by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said Thursday that “our expectation is this will be wrapped up soon, but we can’t project an actual date.”
The extension would carry through 2024. Goodell became commissioner in 2006.
Lockhart added that the league is aware of Jones’ potential lawsuit, which apparently has been sparked by star running back Ezekiel Elliott’s six-game suspension over alleged domestic violence.
Lockhart said “certainly neither the compensation committee or the league has been made aware of a lawsuit being filed.”
As for reports that Jones and other owners might be balking at the structure and compensation in the new contract, Lockhart noted: “I am saying the reporting about potential holdouts around particular issues has not been accurate. I don’t know where it is coming from?”