The next few months, and perhaps years, are critical for both the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell. The league is preparing to negotiate its next broadcasting deals. At the same time, Goodell has remained vocal about his desire to expand the regular season to 18 games, along with increasing the number of international matchups. But for that to happen, Goodell first needs to secure his own future. And according to Front Office Sports, he’s expected to sign a contract extension in the coming months.

“The NFL’s team owners have not yet completed a contract extension with commissioner Roger Goodell,” Mark Maske of Front Office Sports wrote. “But they expect to finalize an extension with him in the coming months to keep him in place to oversee negotiations for new broadcasting deals and a collective bargaining agreement with players that could include an 18-game season, according to four people familiar with the owners’ views.”

The common consensus has been that the extension would be agreed, the timing, however, remains unclear, but could happen soon.

Goodell, 67, signed his existing contract back in October 2023. With the 2026 season approaching, the NFL has an owners’ meeting on August 26. However, the major agenda of that meeting will be the Seattle Seahawks‘ ownership, as a group led by the family of venture capitalist Vinod Khosla has agreed to purchase the team.

There will be other quarterly meetings as well from time to time, and it is expected to be finalized in one of these.

If Goodell manages to sign the deal this year, he’ll be responsible for overseeing major decisions.

The league’s broadcasting deal, which is set to run through the 2033 season. However, it includes an opt-out clause in 2029. The NFL signed its current media rights agreement, worth more than $110 billion, in 2021 with partners including FOX, ESPN, NBC, and streaming platforms like Prime Video. But in recent times, there have been reports of traditional broadcasters having a problem with the growing influence of streaming platforms.

On top of that, the league’s collective bargaining agreement with the NFLPA is scheduled to expire after the 2030 season. While the current deal prevents Goodell and the NFL from expanding the regular season, the commissioner will likely negotiate an 18-game regular season in the next collective bargaining agreement.

This is exactly why Roger Goodell’s potential contract extension appears increasingly likely during the 2026 season. This could be one of the most important extensions, as the decisions that Goodell is responsible for making will have long-term implications for the NFL and its brand.