Seahawks owner Paul Allen is the NFL’s richest owner, with a net worth estimated buy Forbes at $15.8 billion. But when Allen talks about his football team, he sounds more like a fan than like a tycoon.
In an interview with Charlie Rose that focused some on the Seahawks before venturing off into Microsoft and Allen’s less interesting endeavors, Allen talked about Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson and cornerback Richard Sherman, praising both of them for the hard work they put in.
“Russell Wilson, he admires Drew Brees so this summer he watched every throw Drew Brees made in his professional career,” Allen said.
Allen also said that Sherman is one of the smartest players he’s been around.
“He’s extremely bright,” Allen said of Sherman. “In terms of film study and all those things, if you think of all the rules are tilted against you as a defensive player, you have to study film and think about the theory of all the different routes, react in real time, be able to anticipate. It’s not like Richard is the fastest cornerback or anything else. It’s his intelligence that allows him to make all those plays he makes.”
Wilson and Sherman are also two of the NFL’s biggest bargains, a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick who are both still on their rookie contracts. You can bet both players’ agents will remember those comments when it comes time to ask Allen to spend some of his fortune on keeping Wilson and Sherman in Seattle for years to come.