Harger: Seahawks owner Vinod Khosla said ‘never say never.’ Four words would end the moving talk
Oct 5, 2026, 8:01 AM | Updated: 1:49 pm
Seattle Seahawks chair Vinod Khosla has been in charge for less than a month. Last week, a reporter asked him whether he’d commit to keeping the Seahawks in Seattle.
The first five words out of his mouth: “I will never say never.”
Then he wondered aloud whether the team would still be here 500 years from now. Fair question. In 500 years, Sound Transit might be done with the West Seattle light rail line. Might.
Vinod Khosla tells Seahawks fans on X the team isn’t moving
He also said he has no current plans to change anything, including Lumen Field. Nobody heard that part. By Saturday, Khosla was on X telling the 12s the team isn’t moving, the family has never discussed it, and they’ve never even thought about it. “End of story.” He added that he feels sad for reporters chasing clicks who sent an entire city into a spiral.
Ken Behring, Clay Bennett, and the Sonics taught Seattle what ‘never’ means
This city earned that spiral. When buying the team, Ken Behring told the Nordstroms he’d never move the Seahawks. About eight years later, he was trying to take them to Southern California. Clay Bennett promised a good-faith effort to keep the Sonics in Seattle. They play in Oklahoma City.
Seattle has heard “never” from owners before. “Never” turned out to mean “about eight years.”
Khosla is probably telling the truth. He just paid $9.6 billion for a Super Bowl champion that sells out every home game. Nobody buys that and starts shopping for a new zip code.
Seattle media printed Khosla’s full ‘never say never’ answer
In fairness to my colleagues, the media didn’t put “never say never” in his mouth. It was the first thing out of it. Reporters printed the whole answer, “no current plans” and all. If a governor told me he’d never say never on a tax hike, you’d hear about it from me the next morning.
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The Vinod Khosla method, tested on a KIRO Newsradio host
So let me try the Khosla method.
I have no plans to leave Seattle’s Morning News. Will I be in this chair 500 years from now? Never say never. By lunch, somebody’s blog reads: “KIRO host refuses to rule out exit.”
Will I ever wear a 49ers jersey on this show? I have no current plans. But I will never say never. By noon, my inbox is on fire, and I’m on X telling everybody how sad I feel for reporters chasing clicks.
Will anyone in this newsroom ever put their own dishes in the dishwasher instead of leaving them for Patty, our office manager? Never say never. But I wouldn’t bet $9.6 billion on it.
Will I ever run off to the south of France with Jennifer Aniston and leave my old life behind? Bicycles, baguettes, wine. Ooh, maybe a beret? Absolutely not. My wife listens to this show.
See how easy it is? Leave one door cracked, and the whole town walks through it.
The Seahawks’ Lumen Field lease runs through 2032. The options run to 2062
There may be a reason to leave it cracked. The Lumen Field lease runs through 2032. Over at NBC Sports, Mike Florio suspects “never say never” is stadium politics. Keep the threat alive, and asking for public money down the road gets easier. Washington voters already helped build the stadium back in 1997.
So, Mr. Khosla, you want this to be the end of the story? The Lumen Field lease comes with three 10-year options that run all the way to 2062. The first one kicks in when the current lease ends in 2032. Want this fan base to love you, believe in you, and know you’re not like those other owners? Sign all three now and lock it in for the next 36 years.
Then the next time somebody asks, you’ll have a much better answer. Four words instead of five.
“See you in 2062.”
Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here.
