NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday afternoon will kick off Super Bowl week by holding his annual state of the league news conference. Goodell will weigh in on a wide range of topics in the session. Here’s a look at five of the leading issues Goodell will likely be asked to address.
1. State of officiating
It wouldn’t be an NFL season if Goodell didn’t have some officiating-related controversy to address. Officials have faced scrutiny lately for roughing the passer calls, their reactions to hits on sliding quarterbacks and even ball placement.
The NFL this offseason is expected to review expanding replay assistance to include hits on the quarterback. The league also could implement new technology that allows for optical tracking to determine first downs, replacing traditional chains and down markers. The NFL experimented with this technology along with the chain gangs in the 2024 preseason but determined more refinement was necessary. Goodell could offer updates on plans for advancement in this department.
2. 18-game schedule
The collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association runs through 2030 and is set up for 17-game seasons, but the 18-game slate is coming. It’s a matter of when not if.
Goodell and NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell have had preliminary discussions about what such an expansion would entail and what concessions the players would want in exchange for the heavier workload. Howell has spent the season meeting with players to learn their greatest needs for this change. Goodell is unlikely to shed much light Monday on the details of these preliminary discussions, but he could offer insight on a possible timeline for true negotiations, which are expected to begin well ahead of the expiration of the current CBA.
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3. Further kickoff modifications
The “dynamic kickoff” instituted by the NFL this season largely accomplished what league officials had hoped. It led to a resurgence of the play that largely had become an automatic touchback, and the concussion rate on kickoffs decreased. But 2024 was an experimental season for this element of the game, a new format agreed to by the owners for one year. Now the competition committee will evaluate the dynamic kickoff again to determine if any modifications need to be made.
In 2024, 32.8 percent of kickoffs were returned, up from 21.8 percent. There were 59 big-play returns (40 yards or more), which was the most in the NFL since 2016. But is the league happy with that spike? Look for Goodell to give his assessment of the improvements the new format sparked and whether he believes more can be done to boost those numbers.
Aaron Glenn will likely be the only diverse head-coaching hire this offseason. (Kevin R. Wexler / USA Today Network via Imagn)
4. Lack of head coach diversity
Another head coach hiring cycle brought renewed scrutiny over the league’s diversity hiring practices.
Every year, Goodell discusses a desire for owners to improve the diversity of team head coaches and coordinators. The league has made efforts to discourage hiring practices that kept the number of diverse coaches at a minimum. Those efforts include the Rooney Rule, an Accelerator program and draft picks awarded to teams that develop and promote minority coaches and front-office execs, then lose them to head coach or GM jobs with other organizations.
Yet a year after the NFL had a record nine head coaches of color, three of them (Robert Saleh, Jerod Mayo and Antonio Pierce) were fired, the last two after just one season. Only one coach of color, Aaron Glenn (who is Black), has been hired for six of seven head coach openings. The last of those jobs, with the New Orleans Saints, is expected to go to Kellen Moore (who is White).
The Patriots’ hiring of Mike Vrabel came after interviews with Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton, Black coaches who had not worked in the NFL since 2022. That raised questions about the intent of the interviews and the effectiveness of the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for head coach and general manager jobs.
Goodell and the league’s diversity and inclusion department continue to work to cure this age-old problem of equal opportunity employment in a league whose rosters are made up primarily of men of color. Goodell could give an update on those efforts.
5. International games
The NFL’s mission to expand its global fan base remains ongoing. A year after the league held five international games, Goodell would like to see that number increase to eight.
The league has already announced a 2025 game in Madrid hosted by the Miami Dolphins. The Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars will all host games in London. The Indianapolis Colts will host the NFL’s first regular-season game in Berlin. That means three more international games could still be announced for 2025.
Expect Goodell and his team to unveil the full international slate this week while also shedding light on plans for the 2026 season.
(Top photo: Peter Casey / Getty Images)
