2024 NFL Annual Meetings: Here’s what Roger Goodell said, including playing on Christmas each year

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Roger Goodell concluded the NFL Annual Meetings at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Tuesday, having a brief 15-minute session on the state of the league. Goodell didn’t give an address, but took questions to end the three-day meetings.

Here were the highlights of Goodell’s presser: 

Tom Brady and Raiders ownership

“I wouldn’t say it’s a delay. It’s a very thorough process regarding all ownership transfers. We’re just going through that process. We’ve been in tough with their side and I feel it’s making progress.”

Brady’s ownership deal with the Las Vegas Raiders remains on hold, even though both sides agreed to the deal in May. The NFL needs to approve the sale, with three-fourths majority vote from team owners.

The approval was delayed for reasons that included Davis offering a discounted price to Brady. The price was reportedly increased in February to line up with the team’s market value. 

The Brady ownership should come to a resolution soon. 

The new kickoff rule

“I think it will be a big improvement. I think it will bring the play back into an important play, a relevant play, an exciting play. And the injury rate ultimately will drop.”

The league adapted a modified version of the XFL Kickoff Rule for the 2024 season that intends to bring the kickoff back to the game of football. While the league will be eliminating the traditional kickoff, the modified kickoff is designed to put the ball back in the returner’s hands. 

The XFL had 341 kickoff returns in 2023 with their kickoff rules while the NFL had 587. The XFL played just 40 regular season games to the NFL’s 272, as the XFL averaged 8.5 while the NFL averaged 2.2. 

Eagles and Falcons tampering

“I usually don’t give an update until it’s concluded. I’m sure they’re making progress. They were hard at work at it immediately.”

There is an ongoing investigation by the NFL for potential tampering violations with the Kirk Cousins and Saquon Barkley deals. Cousins signed a four-year, $160 million contract with the Falcons, and during his introductory press conference, let slip that he either met or spoke with the team’s athletic trainer and head of public relations before Wednesday. 

Barkley signed a three-year, $37.5 million deal to leave New York for Philadelphia, and Barkley’s former college coach at Penn State, James Franklin, seemed to imply that Barkley and Eagles general manager Howie Roseman talked during the tampering period as well. Barkley denied Franklin’s comments. 

Teams are not allowed to have direct contact with players during the “legal tampering” period, so either of those conversations would seemingly constitute a violation of the tampering rules. 

The Brazil game

“We do have experience with that. There have been several planning trips down there in the last year. It’s a market that we think will be an explosive market for us. We think this type of event will continue that growth factor and actually accelerate it.” 

Goodell says the Eagles’ opponent in Brazil will be announced within the next week. The Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers are the two teams considered. 

Christmas game on a Wednesday 

“COVID was actually a learning thing. [Playing Wednesday] would not be a regular thing. It will be when Christmas falls on a Wednesday. The time period between games as been done before. We have not seen an elevation of injuries. 

“We have had a major focus on Thursday night when we first put this in. We have not seen that elevation either. I think we have this down.”

The NFL has played a game on Christmas in seven of the last nine years. Christmas games aren’t going anywhere, but Wednesday games will only be on the holiday.