Report: Jeff Bezos 'Knows' Seattle Seahawks Are 'Sitting There' After Commanders Sale

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos reportedly didn't make a formal bid for the Washington Commanders, but he may have an eye on the Seattle Seahawks.

"Amazon carries the NFL's package of Thursday night games," Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post wrote.

"Other owners have expressed a desire for Bezos to buy a team. Even if he stays out of the bidding on the Commanders, Bezos could get that opportunity if he pursues the Seattle Seahawks. That team is expected to be sold in the coming years."

A source "with knowledge of the NFL's inner workings" also told the Washington Post that "Bezos knows that Seattle is sitting there."

The Seahawks are owned by the Paul G. Allen Trust. Late owner and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen died in 2018 and ordered that the assets in his trust be sold, with money earned from the sales going to philanthropic efforts.

"Paul directed that the trust be liquidated upon his death and the assets used to fund his passion projects," a source told journalist and Oregon sports radio host John Canzano. "None of this is up in the air. The instructions are clear: The sports franchises and everything in the trust must be sold."

Allen's sister, Jody Allen, is the current chair of the Seahawks and serves as the trust's trustee. She stated in July 2022 that the team wasn't for sale but said that would eventually change at a to-be-determined time:

"As chair of both the Portland Trail Blazers and the Seattle Seahawks, my long-term focus is building championship teams that our communities are proud of. Like my brother Paul, I trust and expect our leaders and coaches to build winning teams that deliver results on and off the court and field.

"As we've stated before, neither of the teams is for sale and there are no sales discussions happening.

"A time will come when that changes given Paul's plans to dedicate the vast majority of his wealth to philanthropy, but estates of this size and complexity can take 10 to 20 years to wind down. There is no pre-ordained timeline by which the teams must be sold."

Colts owner Jim Irsay said on Bloomberg's Business of Sports show in September 2022 that the Seahawks could be up for sale in the "2024 range."

The state of Washington is entitled to 10 percent of the gross proceeds of the sale if the team is sold before May 2024, as part of the terms of the stadium deal, per Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal, so it's highly unlikely anything would be done before then.

As for Bezos, he was rumored to be in the mix for the Commanders. However, Sportico reported Thursday that Snyder has agreed to sell the team for $6 billion to the group led by Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils managing partner Josh Harris.

Bezos won't own the Commanders, but he'll be a name to watch if and when the Seahawks go up for sale.