A heated argument reportedly took place at the NFL fall meetings in New York on Tuesday between two owners: Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones and New England Patriots Robert Kraft.
The was about a motion to permit the owner’s compensation committee to begin negotiations on a new deal with commissioner Roger Goodell, as per ESPN. Goodell’s contract is up after this year.
The vote went 31-1 with Jones being the only owner not in favor of the motion, to which he reportedly told Kraft “Don’t f— with me,” according to ESPN. Kraft responded by saying, “Excuse me?” Jones answered, “Don’t mess with me.”
This isn’t the first time Jones has had an issue with Goodell’s contract. He was one of the main voices that believed his five-year pact in 2017 should be mostly bonus based instead of salary, as several committees of owners would determine whether he met their goals.
Goodell has been NFL commissioner since 2006, and most recently helped mediate a 10-year collective bargaining agreement between the league owners and the NFLPA. Goodell reportedly told some owners that he would walk away after his next contract was up.
It now appears that both the owners and Goodell want him to remain commissioner in what could be a new two or -three-year contract. In 2021, The New York Times reported that Goodell made roughly $128 million in compensation from 2020 to 2021.
In other news at the meetings, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay told reporters that he believes there’s “merit” to consider the removal of Dan Snyder from Washington Commanders ownership.
Irsay’s comments come on the heels of a lengthy report that Snyder has “dirt” on several NFL owners and told a close associate that the NFL league office or Goodell “can’t f— with me.”
The Commanders have had multiple scandals and investigations swirl around their franchise. Snyder, though, said that the report of him hiring private investigators to acquire information on the other owners is “patently false.”
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Photo courtsey of Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images
