What Seahawks should hope for with new ownership

For the first time in nearly three decades, the Seattle Seahawks are about to change ownership.

Khosla-led group seen as good match for Seahawks’ ‘culture’

The Paul G. Allen estate announced Saturday that it reached an agreement to sell the Seahawks to a group led by the Khosla family, with the selling price reportedly an NFL-record $9.612 billion. The deal is pending approval from league owners, who are expected to vote on the transaction at a special Aug. 26 league meeting, according to ESPN.

What should the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks hope for with the new ownership group? Former Green Bay Packers vice president Andrew Brandt, who hosts the Business of Sports podcast, shared his perspective Tuesday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.

“Seamless is the key,” Brandt said. “When you have change in ownership, you don’t want too much change right away. … You want seamless ownership. You want someone that trusts good people to come in and run things and … is going to give the chance to the people that are in place to prove themselves.”

The new ownership group enters a situation where things are already operating about as smoothly as can be, with the Seahawks are widely regarded as one of the most stable and well-run franchises in the NFL.

John Schneider, the only general manager to lead the same franchise to two Super Bowl wins with two different head coach and two completely different rosters, is under contract through 2031.

Mike Macdonald, who became the third-youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl, is under contract through 2029.

And the Seahawks return nearly 87% of their combined offensive and defensive snaps from last season, including both the regular season and postseason, which is the the third-highest rate of any reigning Super Bowl champion since 2010.

“What’s unique about out (this) is the height of success, where you have ownership coming in to a (franchise) that just won the world championship,” Brandt said. “So obviously, you’re not looking for change. You’re looking for stability, and you’re continuing stability with the people that have been very successful there.

“I think what people want most in ownership, from a fan point of view, is resources and staying out of the way. So resources would seem to be in quite the abundance here, paying the largest money for any franchise in the NFL by far.”

Listen to the full Bump and Stacy conversation with Andrew Brandt at this link or in the audio player above. Tune into Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast in the Seattle Sports app.

Seattle Seahawks news and more

• Seahawks sale: What to know about the Khosla family
• Wickersham: Seahawks brass had ‘really good feel’ for Khosla family
• Brock & Salk’s reaction to Seattle Seahawks’ sale agreement

Related

Top-heavy NFC West has Super Bowl favorite Rams, defending champ Seahawks and dangerous 49ersPro Football Hall of Fame overhauls selection processNFL exempt list puts unsavory story lines on display amid season openersBreakdown: The Seahawks’ next contract extension candidatesBrock: The important change the Allen family leaves with SeahawksSeahawks roles for Khosla family announced as team sale becomes final