Seahawks Entering Great Unknown With Sale Now Imminent
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Seattle Seahawks chairman Jody Allen, head coach Mike MacDonald, and general manager John Schneider on the podium after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images [/caption]
Back in February 1996, the Seattle Seahawks already had one foot out the door with sights on moving to Anaheim, California, as then-owner Ken Behring cited the inability to secure a new stadium to replace an aging Kingdome as the primary reason for relocation.
Only 20 years into their existence as an NFL franchise, Behring’s efforts to move the team went as far as equipment being shipped to a facility in Anaheim that previously belonged to the Los Angeles Rams. In the middle of a 10-year drought without a playoff appearance, which still stands as the longest stretch in franchise history to this day, it was a tumultuous stretch for Seahawks fans on and off the field without certainty that the team would still be in town in the near future.
Thankfully for the 12s, after King County and the state of Washington sued Behring for a lease violation, the NFL stepped in with threats of massive fines, ultimately forcing Behring to halt his ambitious relocation plan and put the team up for sale. Paul Allen jumped in as the savior for the franchise, purchasing the Seahawks in 1997 and quickly securing a new stadium, ensuring the team would stay in the Pacific Northwest permanently.
While success wasn’t immediate with Seattle missing the playoffs in four of its first five seasons after Allen purchased the team, the franchise reached unprecedented heights during his 21 years at the helm, reaching three Super Bowls and winning Super Bowl XLVIII. Following his death in 2018, the organization continued to thrive under the watch of Jody Allen, recently winning Super Bowl LX to bring a second Lombardi Trophy to the Emerald City.
In 29 years with the Allen family in charge, the Seahawks made the playoffs 17 times, won 11 division titles, won 10-plus games 14 times, and won a pair of Super Bowls. In the 21 seasons prior, they made the playoffs just four times with one division title, two 10-plus win seasons, and no Super Bowl appearances.
Fast forwarding 30 years after Behring’s failed relocation attempt, the Seahawks have officially been put up for sale by the Estate of Paul G. Allen, bringing an end to the most successful ownership tenure in franchise history. Such a development has been inevitable since Paul Allen passed away nearly nine years ago, as his directive implored the estate to eventually sell all of his sports holdings and direct the proceeds to philanthropic endeavors.
Per a statement from the Estate of Paul G. Allen, they have selected a bank and law firm to initiate the sale process, which is expected to last throughout the 2026 offseason. NFL owners eventually will need to ratify a final sale agreement before the franchise changes hands for the first time in three decades.
Coming off a Super Bowl win, the Seahawks have never been more valuable, to the point that ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that he expects the looming sale to break a record as the most expensive sale of a pro sports franchise. For those who have the financial means to afford such a purchase, there may not be a better opportunity to step into an ownership role, but the Allen family leaves massive shoes to be filled. And there will be no shortage of questions in regard to how a new owner will impact the football side of the equation.
After purchasing the team in 1997, Paul Allen earned a reputation for largely staying out of football operations and letting those he hired do their jobs. There were a few exceptions to that rule, including stepping in to dismiss coach Jim Mora after just one season and court Pete Carroll as his replacement in 2010, but he mostly kept himself out of the limelight as the franchise racked up a ton of wins and playoff appearances.
His sister Jody maintained that status quo, at least in the public eye. But hearing from coach Mike Macdonald leading up to the Seahawks latest Super Bowl victory, behind the scenes, she had a much more active role conversing with those in charge of football operations, including weekly discussions with the coach after games. He credited her with being a key mentor as a first-time head coach in 2024, clearing his head when he was “in a fog” at times in his first year on the job.
“She’s been incredibly supportive. We haven’t hit the mark all the time, and so when she gives feedback it’s very simple,” Macdonald said. “And it’s through, like, a great lens that maybe if I’m kind of in the fog, you don’t see it.”
Closing out her tenure as chair of the franchise with the sale of the Seahawks now imminent, Allen will get to go out in the sunset with lasting images of her hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in Santa Clara two weeks ago, the perfect representation of what the family meant to the team and the city. Whoever follows her now will have an immense amount of pressure on them to live up to the lofty standards set by the previous regime, which prioritized winning by allowing those in the football realm to execute their jobs without a heavy hand overseeing day-to-day operations.
As is always the case with a change in ownership in professional sports, there will be significant changes in how general manager John Schneider and Macdonald interact with those in charge, though nobody should be worrying about either of them being on the way out in the near future. A new owner likely will bring in his/her own financial advisors as well, likely bringing massive changes for team president Chuck Arnold and others who have been involved in the money side of management for the Seahawks.
With the sale process just getting started, it remains to be seen who will emerge as a favorite to purchase the franchise from the Allen estate, especially with the price expected to vastly exceed the Commanders $6 billion sale from three years ago. Of course, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will be a trendy pick by many to swoop in and buy a stake in the NFL, as his name has long been linked to the Seahawks as a potential buyer. Steve Ballmer, a former CEO for Microsoft and owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, had a close relationship with Paul Allen until his death and could be a front-runner to watch.
It won’t be a surprise if someone who hasn’t been connected to Seattle’s upcoming sale emerges either, as NFL owners may be looking to seal the biggest purchase in professional sports history above all else. With that comes uncertainty that Seahawks fans fortunately haven’t felt since the final years of Behring’s reign as they wait to see who ultimately makes the massive investment and takes the keys to one of the league’s premier franchises over the past 25 years.
If there’s a silver lining, no matter who buys the franchise, there shouldn’t be any fears about a Sonics moving to Oklahoma City situation down the road. The team currently has a lease at Lumen Field through 2031 and with two Super Bowl titles in the last 12 years, the NFL wouldn’t allow anyone to come in and try to relocate the Seahawks to another city. The efforts made by the Allen family to keep the team in the Pacific Northwest paved the way to ensure they will never leave.
At the same time, fans will have to keep their fingers crossed that whoever buys the team doesn’t attempt to “fix” something that isn’t broken by becoming too intertwined with the football aspect of operations and meddling with Schneider and Macdonald’s business far too intrusively, doing the opposite of what made the Allen’s tenure such a roaring success.
