Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been in the news a whole lot recently. That’s never a good sign. Usually reserved when it comes to his media visibility, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft can’t say the same thing.
That changed big time during Tuesday’s NFL owners meetings. Said owners voted 31-1 to allow the competition committee to open negotiations with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on a new contract. Kraft joined 30 others owners in voting for the approval. Jones represented the only “no” vote.
According to ESPN’s Seth Wickersham this led to a heated exchange between Jones and Kraft in which the former told his counterpart, “Don’t f**k with me.”
According to the report, Kraft responded, “Excuse me,” before jones repeated his previous comment.
“This isn’t the first time Jones has been outspoken and opposed to a new contract for Goodell, 63, and sources said his issue remains the same: the structure of Goodell’s compensation.
In 2017, Goodell signed a new five-year deal that was different from his previous ones. Jones led a charge that restructured Goodell’s deal from mostly salaried to mostly bonuses based on performance. Several committees comprised of owners determine whether they feel Goodell has met goals and targets.”
ESPN report on Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft spat
For his part, Jones has been in the news after a civil case filed against him stemming from allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced earlier this week. The longtime Cowboys head has also been a central figure in the drama surrounding Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder.
As for this recent spat, there’s a major backstory here. Jones has pushed back against undefined bonuses in a potential new Goodell contract.
“He believes in corporate good governance and wants accountability on the financial goals tied to Roger’s bonus. He is sensitive to awarding a big bonus to Roger before he performs and earns it.”
League source on Jerry Jones stance
Related: Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft among NFL’s richest owners
Jerry Jones seemingly not backing Roger Goodell for a contract extension
Goodell’s current contract is slated to expire in March of 2024. Recent reports suggested that he made a combined $128 million over the past two fiscal years.
While the NFL continues to take off from a financial perspective under Goodell, the league has found itself involved in scandal after scandal. Most recently, that’s comes up with the entire Daniel Snyder drama in Washington and the league’s handling of accusations against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
But for Jerry Jones and other billionaires, it’s all about the economic bottom line. Simply put, he doesn’t want to give Goodell untapped earning potential in the form of bonuses.
Related: Some NFL owners reportedly plotting to oust Washington Commanders boss Daniel Snyder
As it stands, things are seemingly becoming heated among NFL’s power elite. ESPN’s report that Snyder has “dirt” on Goodell, Jones and others within the league’s hierarch adds another layer to that.
“League sources say the NFL is aware that Snyder has claimed to be tracking owners. But none of the owners or sources would reveal how they learned of Snyder’s alleged effort to use private investigators,” the report read.
Perhaps, that’s a big backdrop to all of the drama we’ve seen unfold among NFL owners on Tuesday. That includes Indianapolis Colts head honcho Jim Irsay calling for the ousting of Snyder while Jerry Jones himself is seemingly against the idea.
Get your popcorn ready, this is not going to die down any time soon. It seems that Jones and Co. are making that clear with everything that’s unfolded recently