Considering the fact the NFL is awash in revenue and in what will be an extended period of labor peace, Ashley Fox maintains Roger Goodell is worth every penny of the $29 million he is paid by the NFL -- especially in comparison to other commissioners.


By Ashley Fox, ESPN.com

No wonder Roger Goodell didn't mind working for one dollar during the National Football League's lockout of its players in 2011. He more than made up for it by the end of the year.

Goodell's executive compensation package as commissioner of this country's most popular professional sports league is extravagant. Roddy White no doubt thinks it is outrageous. According to a tax return the league filed last week, in 2011 Goodell made $29.49 million, more than double the $11.6 million he made in 2010. It is a staggering number at first blush.

According to ESPN sports business reporter Darren Rovell, Goodell made $3,117,000 in salary, $22,309,000 in bonuses and $3,993,000 in additional compensation. So Goodell was paid for his performance, just the way players prefer to be paid. Was it outrageous? Hardly, given the financial windfall that Goodell, who turned 54 on Tuesday, provided the NFL's 32 owners and the players. Compared to the money Goodell has made the owners, his compensation looks like a bargain. Just based on the economics, the owners should have paid him more.

Goodell got a new, 10-year collective bargaining agreement hammered out with the players, ending a four-month lockout before any real damage was done. No games were missed. Training camps were abbreviated but not canceled. There were preseason games and plenty of time for players to earn roster spots. Players did not lose a single game check.

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