Jerry Jones Really Wants Jeff Bezos to Buy the Seahawks
Seahawks, Trail Blazers and Seattle Sounders owner Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975, died on Monday at the age of 65 from complications from a recurrance of his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Allen's sudden and unexpected death has left a void in ownership within the Pacific Northwest's professional sports teams. As the NFL's Seattle Seahawks try to figure out a plan for franchise ownership following Allen's passing, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezo's name has been mentioned as a potential buyer if the team is sold.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told the MMQB's Jenny Vrentas about how badly he wants Bezos to buy in.
One obvious name the league would no doubt be interested in bringing into the fold is Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. He’s the world’s wealthiest person, is based in Seattle and the NFL is already in business with him, through its Thursday Night Football streaming partnership with Amazon Prime Video.
“Someone like that,” Jones said of Bezos, “I’d carry him piggyback to get him to the NFL.”
Bezos is worth a whopping $145.1 billion but has yet to invest in any sports franchises. While the situation surrounding a sale of the Seahawks remains unclear with Allen's sister Jody potentially taking over as owner, what is clear is that Jones wants owners like Bezos involved in the league.
A potential sale could also mean a potential relocation, but a Seattle-based buyer like Bezos could also prevent such a dramatic shift. Allen was instrumental in keeping the NFL in Seattle when he purchased the Seahawks in 1996, as its former owner was threatening to move the team to Southern California. Seattle has reached the Super Bowl three times since then, and the team won Super Bowl XLVIII.
