According to the latest NFL rumors, the Los Angeles Chargers might be changing ownership. According to court files, the Spanos family might have to sell the team, and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has been linked to the organization. In other news, the Washington Football Team and superstar guard Brandon Scherff are reportedly struggling to come to terms on a new deal.
NFL Rumors: Spanos, Jeff Bezos and the Chargers; Washington, Scherff Not Talking Contract
Dea Berberian, sister of Los Angeles Chargers owner Dean Spanos, reportedly filed a court petition to sell the organization. According to the petition, Spanos is currently staring down over $350 million in debt, and might not be able to pay out the $22 million in pledged charity donations.
The petition also lists Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos as an interested party. Bezos, with a net worth of over $182 billion, is currently the richest man in the world and should have no trouble funding the Los Angeles Chargers. For what it’s worth, Bezos has tweeted about football and even attended Super Bowl LIV, so he does have at least a passing interest in the game. Spanos isn’t exactly loved by fans, so this move would probably be a welcome one for the long-suffering Chargers faithful.
The reason a petition needed to be filed in the first place is thanks to the interesting structuring of the ownership. The Spanos family first gained a controlling share of the Chargers back in 1984, and owned 96% of the team as recently as 2018. However, when Alex Spanos died, he gave each one of his four children a 15% share in the team. The rest of the stake was placed into a trust, which Dean Spanos and his sister simultaneously run.
Washington Football Team, Brandon Scherff Not Talking Contract
The Washington Football Team used the franchise tag to keep superstar guard Brandon Scherff from hitting the open market. Scherff already signed the deal, locking him in for a fully-guaranteed $18 million. However, the two sides reportedly have not started negotiating a long-term contract.
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Speaking to reporters on Monday, head coach Ron Rivera said that Scherff and the organization “have not talked since he signed [the franchise tag].” However, despite the lack of communication, Rivera is still confident that the two sides can come to terms on a long-term agreement. Washington clearly values what Scherff brings to the table, it’s just a matter of working on a deal that makes sense for both sides.
Chances are, Joe Thuney’s deal is going to be the starting point for any negotiations. Prior to the start of free agency, Scherff and Thuney were widely considered to be the best two guards on the open market. With Scherff franchised, Thuney had the market all to himself and ended up landing a five-year, $80 million contract with $46.89 million in guaranteed money. Scherff will probably eclipse this number, but only time will tell if he does so with the Washington Football Team or with a different organization.
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