Free agency is winding down, and Lamar Jackson and Aaron Rodgers are still out there …
• If you’re surprised at all at Roger Goodell getting another extension—his fourth since becoming commissioner in 2006—don’t be. To understand what the owners want from him is to understand what the league has wanted from him since appointing him 17 years ago.
When Pete Rozelle was hired in the 1960s, the league needed to raise its profile and popularity, so it hired a PR guy. When Paul Tagliabue was tabbed in ’98, the league was coming off two strikes, so the owners wanted a lawyer. And by the time Tagliabue was ready to walk away nearly two decades laters, the makeup of the body of owners had changed—you had more of the uber-wealthy owners, who were focused on generating revenue.
