Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: 'Laughable' to suggest NFL could force exit

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on Tuesday strongly dismissed a report that some NFL owners have discussed ousting him from the league over his public opposition to a proposed contract extension for Commissioner Roger Goodell.

“I’ve had not one inkling of communication with the league office or any owner that would suggest something that laughable and ridiculous,” Jones said during his weekly show on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan. “If somebody is asserting that or thinking about that kind of thing, they’re not knowledgeable about how things work in the NFL.”

Jones is in the midst of a public war of words with NFL owners, including compensation committee chairman Arthur Blank of the Atlanta Falcons, over Goodell’s contract. The Cowboys owner has threatened to sue the league to block negotiations, purportedly claiming that NFL owners have been misled about the contract’s proposed terms.

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported on Sunday that multiple NFL owners were discussing a “nuclear option” that could theoretically remove Jones from control of the Cowboys franchise. The report cited an unnamed league source with knowledge of the situation.

Jones argues that the terms of Goodell’s contract should be open for final analysis and a confirmation vote by all 32 NFL owners, not just the six members of the compensation committee. He opposes the current negotiating process, despite the fact that he and the league’s other 31 owners voted unanimously last May to empower the committee to negotiate an extension with Goodell.

The Cowboys owner also purportedly supports the inclusion of a performance-based pay structure for Goodell as the league battles a series of business-related challenges, including declining television ratings and national anthem protests that have rankled some fans and corporate sponsors. Goodell’s current contract expires after the 2018 season.

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"Roger has almost 18 months left on there,” Jones said. “We've got all the time in the world to evaluate what we're doing. We've got all the time in the world to extend him. We just need to slow this train down and have a lot of time to discuss the issues at hand in the NFL and have a good, fair input from all the owners, which we're not getting."

Under proposed terms, Goodell would remain as commissioner through 2024. He has earned more than $200 million since assuming the role in 2006.