Roger Goodell on potential early opt-out from CBS deal after Skydance merger: ‘I don’t see that happening’

On Thursday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell gave his clearest answer yet on whether the league will exercise a provision in its broadcast rights deal with CBS after the company’s pending merger with Skydance Media.

A recent settlement with President Donald Trump over the editing of a 60 Minutes interview during the presidential campaign last year appears to have cleared the way for the long-awaited merger under which Skydance would take control of Paramount Global. The Federal Communications Commission granted Paramount a 90-day extension to finalize the deal last week, setting the final elements of the agreement in motion.

As the transaction reached its final stage, Puck’s John Ourand reported on a growing possibility with the NFL’s “change-of-control” provision in its deal with CBS. The provision gives the league two years following the acquisition to opt out of its deal, on top of the opt-out it wields across the entire package in 2029. This would give the NFL an even earlier head start on its next media rights package, which is set to expire in 2033.

While Goodell previously indicated that he did not expect to exercise the “change-of-control” mechanism, Ourand reported that the league was considering potentially extending its contracts with CBS and Fox early.

But in an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box this week, Goodell all but ruled out the league exercising its opt-out.

“We’ve had a long relationship with CBS for decades. We also have a relationship outside of that with Skydance. So I don’t anticipate that that’s something that we’ll see,” he said. “We have a two-year period to make that decision. I don’t see that happening, but we have that option, and that’s something we’ll take a look at.”

Given the NFL’s impressive ability to carve out one-off deals under the existing package on a season-by-season basis, there would appear to be no need to kill its partnership with CBS early. From Christmas Day on Netflix to an overseas game on Peacock or YouTube, the league is already experimenting with new partners.

Plus, Skydance is bringing a significant influx of spending power to CBS and Paramount with the merger. Most expect the company, which will reportedly be headed by NBC vet Jeff Shell after the merger, to spend even more on sports going forward.

As Goodell referenced, the NFL also has a sizable existing partnership with Skydance as well. The league owns equity in Skydance and co-produces content, such as Hard Knocks, with it. Previously, Bloomberg reported that the Paramount-Skydance merger could result in a buyout of the league’s stake in Skydance.

So the NFL has little reason to disrupt its status quo and burn a bridge with CBS or Skydance now. That doesn’t mean CBS is a lock to be part of the league’s slate of rightsholders in 2030, but it is likely safe for the next half-decade as it reimagines itself with new ownership.