So, yes, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has indeed initiated what the NFL surely would regard as the nuclear option in his ongoing opposition to the contract extension being negotiated with Commissioner Roger Goodell. Per a source familiar with Jones’ thinking, the threatened litigation arises solely from, and relates solely to, his concerns about the structure and compensation of the proposed new deal for Goodell.
As to the compensation, Jones wants the deal to have less guarantees and more incentives. At a time when the pie seems to be shrinking, that could be bad news for Goodell. However, the aggressive use of incentives could motivate Goodell to fix lingering problems, like the anthem controversy and the ongoing ratings decline.
Jones believes that he has significant support from other owners for his position on the Goodell contract; PFT has reported that perhaps only four or five others share his views. Jones would contend, we’re told, that a very strong percentage of the 17 owners who participated in a recent conference call regarding the terms of the contract share a lot of his concerns.
Although Jones voted along with all other owners in May when the six-owner Compensation Committee received authorization to negotiate and finalize the contract, something happened since May, prompting Jones to take up the cause of pushing back against the Compensation Committee, under the notion that he is speaking for all owners not on the committee when opposing the package.