Lifetime Private Jet? $50 Million? The Jerry Jones Camp Wants Roger Goodell to Look Very Greedy; NFL Fired Back at Mort & Schefter

The ongoing battle between Jerry Jones and Roger Goodell is more compelling than a lot of the NFL’s on-field action has been this season. The latest installment involves an outlandish-looking contract proposal from the NFL commissioner, and a direct shot from the league office at two of the sport’s most prolific reporters.

This was the nut graph in Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen’s story on Goodell’s contract proposal:

"The committee will address Goodell’s salary and compensation package. The last written counterproposal from Goodell, which was around the first of August, was seeking about $49.5 million per year, as well as the lifetime use of a private jet and lifetime health insurance for his family, according to a source familiar with the negotiations."

NFL spokesman Joe Lockhard provided this statement to PFT in response:

"“The only element of the ESPN report that is true is that there is a regularly scheduled Compensation Committee conference call on Monday,” NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said in a statement. “There is no basis in fact for any of the other reporting. Those trying to peddle that nonsense are profoundly misinformed or deliberately trying to mislead.”"

As Florio points out, this is a dispute over something that would have been in writing so if the NFL is lying that should be disprovable. What will remain interesting is if Jerry Jones can convince enough of the so-called “fence-sitters” in the ownership to join his cavalry.