Report: Adam Silver Contacted About Replacing Roger Goodell as NFL Commissioner

NFL owners have been discussing potential succession plans for commissioner Roger Goodell as debate continues to rage regarding his future in the league office, and one interesting name reportedly surfaced of late. 

According to ESPN.com's Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham, "a confidant of one owner reached out to gauge whether Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, would be interested in running the NFL."

Silver, however, had zero interest in the proposition and "immediately said no."

That Silver would decline is hardly surprising. 

The 55-year-old joined the NBA in 1992 and steadily worked his way through various roles, including NBA chief of staff and special assistant to the commissioner, before he took over as commissioner for David Stern in February 2014. 

Since then, the league has experienced something of a financial and popularity boom. 

In Oct. 2014, the NBA agreed to a nine-year, $24 billion television rights deal with ESPN and TNT—which was valued at three times the previous agreement, according to the New York Times' Richard Sandomir. 

More recently, the league watched as the 2017 Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors became the most-watched championship series since 1998. 

The story has differed for the NFL. 

According to Van Natta Jr. and Wickersham, "TV ratings and favorability polls have drifted downward this autumn," which has produced "dissatisfaction with Goodell's stewardship" among some owners. 

For now, Goodell is locked in a dispute with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who has threatened to sue the league in order to block the commissioner's proposed contract extension, according to the New York Times' Ken Belson. 

On Friday, ESPN's Adam Schefter, Chris Mortensen and Todd Archer reported there will be an "owners-only session that will deal with the impending extension for commissioner Roger Goodell" at the NFL's winter meeting Dec. 13 in Irving, Texas.