Roger Goodell Talks Jay-Z's Super Bowl Halftime Show, Says He Kept 'Putting It Off'

Roger Goddell has shared that Jay-Z always intended to headline the Super Bowl halftime show — he just needed to secure the right timing.

The NFL commissioner joined Apple Music's Ebro Darden and Eddie Francis on Thursday (October 29) to discuss the 25-time Grammy winner being announced as Super Bowl LXI halftime performer. The big game will be held February 14, 2027, at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium, where Jay-Z concluded his JAŸ-Z30 Tour over the weekend.

Goddell said that the league "always wanted this to happen at some point," meaning a halftime performance from Jay-Z, who’s been the NFL's live entertainment strategist since 2019.

"It was something I asked him about at the time when we first started this, and he said, 'Yeah, we'll see, let's see what happens' — but it was clear he wanted it to happen. We’ve talked about it a couple of times," the sports executive explained.

With 2026 marking the 30th and 25th anniversaries of Jay-Z albums Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint, respectively, Goodell added that the "G.O.A.T." proved that he's "ready" to take the halftime stage.

"He was pretty clear: 'I wanna do it this year,'" Goddell recalled. "I guess I was more excited than anything, maybe a little surprised, because he keeps putting it off a little bit. But I think he’s already got his vision; he already understands what he wants to do."

The 4:44 rapper confirmed on Monday (October 26) that he'll be next year's Super Bowl halftime show performer with a black-and-white visual teaser.

"From Reasonable Doubt to standing on the Super Bowl Halftime stage, this has been a journey," Jay-Z stated, per the NFL. "Thirty years of music, work, and culture on the world's biggest stage. This run continues to be a dream come true."