Getty NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll
The future of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers has been unclear since the passing of former owner and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 2018. Rumors have begun swirling about a change of ownership for both sports franchises, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell provided an important update on the future of the Seahawks.
Questions about the future of Seattle’s ownership resurfaced again in the wake of Nike founder Phil Knight and part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers Adam Smolinsky placing a bid to buy the Portland NBA franchise. The bid was initially reported by Benjamin Mullin and Kevin Draper from The New York Times.
The Paul G Allen Trust, currently run by the late owner’s sister Jody Allen, includes both the Trail Blazers and Seahawks. CBS Sports NFL reporter Jonathan Jones asked Goodell about a possible sale of the Seahawks a couple of weeks before the report about the Trail Blazers, and the NFL commissioner explained that he doesn’t see “any immediate change of ownership”.
The Trail Blazers also released a statement after the initial report, saying, “An offer was made by Phil Knight. The team remains not for sale.”
Why Are Rumors Swirling Around Seahawks Ownership?
Nearly four years after Allen’s passing, rumors regarding a potential Seahawks sale are suddenly picking up steam. While it may seem as if these rumors and reports are coming out of left field, there could be a reason for it.
Portland columnist and radio host John Canzano made an appearance on Seattle radio in May to talk about the future of the Seahawks. When talking with Jason Puckett on 93.3 KJR, Canzano explained that both the Trail Blazers and Seahawks will be put up for sale in the near future in accordance with a requirement left in Paul Allen’s trust.
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Canzano didn’t specify when a sale would need to take place during his radio interview, and both the Trail Blazers and Goodell have now made statements shooting down the possibility of a sale. However, it’s worth noting Goodell’s word choice with Jones, stating that the Seahawks wouldn’t have an “immediate” change of ownership.
If Canzano’s reporting is accurate, and Goodell’s word choice was intentional, then it could mean that the Seahawks will have to be put up for sale down the road. The question that remains, however, is how far down the road that will take place.
Could Jeff Bezos Eventually Buy the Seahawks?
Whenever rumors of an NFL team potentially being up for sale, Amazon founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos is brought up. As one of the richest people in the world, Bezos is one of the few people who could make a run at owning a professional sports franchise without the help of an ownership group.
Bezos has been linked to NFL ownership in the past, and the billionaire has expressed interest in buying his own team. A bid for the Seahawks whenever the team is put up for sale would make a lot of sense. Bezos founded Amazon and put the company’s headquarters in Seattle.
There’s no clear timeline on a potential sale, but if the Seahawks end up being put up for new ownership, Bezos will be a clear frontrunner to purchase the franchise.