Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Steelers minority owner Jim Haslam could take over the Brownsas soon as Week 1 of this year.
The impending sale seems strange when you consider Haslam’s ties to one of the Browns division rivals, but I’m sure they’re all for an owner that will prioritize results. A new ownership change would likely have a huge impact on the organizations front office and more specifically president Mike Holmgren.
Former Eagles president Joe Banner is part of the group that’s in the process of purchasing the team, so it’s not hard to connect the dots here and suggest that Holmgren could be relieved of his duties with the team in favor of Banner. GM Tom Heckert has ties to Banner from his time with the Eagles, so he at least stands a sporting chance of surviving such a transition.
Cleveland is a dismal 9-23 under Holmgrens direction, so it will be interest to see if of when new ownership decides to shake things up. This could also have an impact on the coaching staff, as well as Brandon Weeden’s long-term future with the team. That’s purely speculative, but it’s not that uncommon for new leadership to move in a new direction, especially when your first-round quarterback is already close to 30-years-old.
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