The Seattle Seahawks are bound to sign wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba to an extension this offseason or next, but who signs his paychecks is a real question in the future. Could that be Steve Ballmer?
As all 12s know, the Seattle football organization is for sale, as the wishes of Paul Allen before he died in 2017 need to be fulfilled. After winning Super Bowl LX in February, an announcement was made that the process of a sale would begin. There was no timeline on when it might be completed or who would buy the team.
That is what makes a photo posted by the Los Angeles Clippers X handle all the more interesting. The picture shows JSN standing next to Ballmer, who owns the Clippers, inside LA's home arena. Maybe Smith-Njigba just wanted to catch a game. After all, he isn't going to be the one handling the sale of the Seahawks.
Seattle Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba has his photo taken with Steve Ballmer
Still, Ballmer has been one of the names linked to potentially purchasing the football team. He knows the Pacific Northwest well after working for Microsoft and making literal billions. Ballmer's reported net worth, according to Forbes, is $130 billion. The Seahawks might cost less than $10 billion. That's throwaway money for the Clippers owner.
From Seattle to LA — JSN pulled up to @IntuitDome 💙 pic.twitter.com/NTDUtZYsWa
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 10, 2026
Maybe Ballmer is thinking of buying the team and wanted to meet arguably the best player on the team. It is important to know one's employees, of course. The meeting between Steve Ballmer and Jaxon Smith-Njigba might have simply been a business meeting.
Or, well...not. Most likely, the meeting was just coincidental, or Smith-Njigba is just working in conjunction with Ballmer, the Clippers, or some business in LA. A bunch of reasons could exist that JSN was in Los Angeles, of course, and it is just coincidental that he was taking a photo with someone who might potentially purchase the team.
The positive with Ballmer is that he does appear to be well-liked by the employees of the team he owns. The Seattle Seahawks have been known for how well they treat both players and non-football staff since the Allens have been running the team. No one wants that to change.
Most likely, the future owner of the team isn't someone anyone suspects currently. 12s know it won't be Bill Gates, as he has said he has no interest in owning a sports franchise. Besides Gates, though, anything is possible.