Twenty years after Bryant Gumbel characterized the NFL Players Association executive director as the “personal pet” of Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, the man whom Gumbel advised to figure out “where [Tagliabue] keeps Gene Upshaw’s leash” has a new colleague. Or, as Gumbel would put it, a new collie.
Regardless, Roger Goodell has issued a statement following the election of JC Tretter as the NFLPA’s new executive director.
“I want to congratulate JC Tretter on his election as Executive Director of the NFL Players Association,” Goodell said in a statement distributed by the league. “As a former player, JC brings a unique perspective to this critical leadership role shaped by his firsthand experience and a deep understanding of the men he represents. We have worked with JC for several years, first as union president when he helped the league and the NFLPA successfully navigate through COVID during the 2020 season. We look forward to building upon that relationship to further our shared priorities, including our commitment to advancing player health and safety and ensuring the global growth of our game for our fans, the players and our clubs.”
The enhancement of global growth includes the league’s desire, as most recently articulated by Patriots owner Robert Kraft, to play 16 international games. Kraft also spoke of an 18-game regular season as a given.
It’s also regarded as a given that the league will move quickly to try to get Tretter to agree to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that expands the regular season by one more game. Super Bowl LXII in Atlanta, to be played in less than 23 months, still has no specific date — because the league hopes to get to 18 by 2027.
That’s the play, and the huddle has now broken on both sides of the ball. Sooner than later, Goodell will be calling Tretter to personally congratulate him on his new gig — before turning to the pressing business matters that had been delayed by the unexpected resignation of Tretter’s predecessor, Lloyd Howell, in July 2025.
