What If... Ken Behring Didn't Purchase the Seahawks?

The transition from the Nordstrom family to Behring proved to be a disaster for the Seahawks, who failed to make the playoffs once from 1988 to 1997. How different would history look if he didn't buy the Seahawks in the late 80s?

Hindsight is 20/20, but every NFL franchise has made regrettable decisions over the years they’d love to go back in time and remedy. In a 10-part series, the Seahawk Maven staff will take a closer look at some of the biggest “What If?” scenarios in Seahawks history and investigate how things could’ve played out in an alternate universe.

Over the past two decades, the Seahawks have enjoyed sustained excellence due in large part to the impressive leadership of late owner Paul Allen along with coaches Mike Holmgren and Pete Carroll.

Since Allen purchased the franchise for $200 million back in 1997, Seattle has made the postseason 14 times. During that span, the team has won 14 playoff games, captured two NFC championships, and hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for the first time by winning Super Bowl XLVIII.

But before Allen pulled out the checkbook, the Seahawks endured a decade of futility under the leadership of Ken Behring, a real estate tycoon who bought the franchise from the Nordstrom family in 1988. As the team sputtered on the field, he became one of the most despised men in the Pacific Northwest for his efforts to relocate the team to southern California.

Following the 1995 season, Behring controversially moved the team's operations to Anaheim, though Seattle continued to play at the Kingdome. For several years, it seemed inevitable the Los Angeles Seahawks would become a reality before Allen swooped in to save the day and helped build a new stadium to keep the franchise.

More than two decades after his disastrous reign ended, it's worth wondering how differently the 90s would have played out if a different owner purchased the team.

When Behring bought the team in 1988, the Seahawks were coming off the most successful five-year run of their brief franchise history. Led by Curt Warner, Steve Largent, and Kenny Easley, they had reached the playoffs three times, including reaching the 1983 AFC Championship Game.

But Behring inherited a team with a talented, yet aging roster. After battling injuries, Warner looked to be heading towards the end of his career, Largent had started to show signs of slowing down at the age of 33, and Easley was traded to the Cardinals before eventually retiring due to kidney problems.

The Seahawks needed an infusion of youth and talent through free agency and the draft, and initially, the first couple of drafts with Behring at the helm showed plenty of promise.

Starting in 1988, Seattle landed Miami receiver Brian Blades with its first pick in the second round. Taking the torch from Largent, he would make the Pro Bowl in his second season with the team and produced four 1,000-plus yard seasons. They also found an 11th round gem in cornerback Dwayne Harper.

Two years later, the Seahawks landed one of their best draft classes in 1990, starting with selecting future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy with the No. 3 overall pick. The team also picked three other foundational pieces in linebacker Terry Wooden, safety Robert Blackmon, and running back Chris Warren.

But as tensions escalated between Behring, general manager Tom Flores, and coach Chuck Knox, the Seahawks entered a critical offseason in 1991 seeking a new franchise quarterback.

Long-time starter Dave Krieg was still on the roster, but Behring had his sights set on San Diego State standout Dan McGwire as his replacement. While the validity of the rumors remains unknown to this day, reports circulated that Knox preferred Southern Mississippi quarterback Brett Favre.

Ultimately, with Behring and Flores enamored by his size and arm strength, the Seahawks used the No. 16 overall selection on the 6-foot-8 McGwire. The decision proved to be a catastrophic one, setting the franchise back for several years in the process.

Making one lone start as a rookie, McGwire completed just three out of seven pass attempts and threw an interception, already looking the part of a surefire bust. His struggles continued into the 1992 season, prompting the organization to make Flores the coach and eventually use another first round pick on Notre Dame quarterback Rick Mirer in 1993.

McGwire managed to play in just 12 games over four seasons, throwing two touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 50 percent of his passes. As for Mirer, though he showed more promise than his predecessor, he threw 56 interceptions in four seasons before being traded to the Bears.

With both high draft choices failing to come close to expectations, the Seahawks won just 14 combined games under Flores from 1992 to 1994, leading to yet another coaching change to Dennis Erickson. It was during this time that Behring also moved team operations to California.

Though drafting improved for the final few years with Behring running the show, the team remained mediocre, posting seven or eight wins each season from 1995 to 1997. Seattle still wasn't an ideal location for free agents either, with an aging Warren Moon as the lone exception, making improving the roster to playoff-caliber even more difficult.

When considering Seattle didn't make the playoffs once from 1989 to 1997, it's easy to place the blame on Behring, who put a huge target on his back by trying to move the franchise. At the controls, he certainly had a hand in several of the notable personnel mishaps made during that time, particularly in regard to his infatuation with McGwire.

Would a different owner have made a difference? After seeing what Allen did once he purchased the team, it could have been a game changer.

Without Behring playing the role of over-bearing owner, the Seahawks may have had an easier time persuading free agents to come to the Pacific Northwest given the success the team had in the mid-1980s. And if Knox truly preferred Favre, a less hands-on owner may have allowed the coach to make the decision.

Who knows if Favre winds up becoming a Hall of Fame quarterback in Seattle as he did in Green Bay? He lasted just one season with Atlanta, who used a second-round pick to draft him before giving up on him quickly due to maturity concerns.

But even if Favre only emerged as a mid-level starter, Seattle might have been a legit threat in the AFC in the mid-90s due to the talent on the rest of the roster. The defense had several stars, including Kennedy and safety Eugene Robinson, while Blades certainly would have been more productive with better quarterback play and Warren may have been even more dynamic out of the backfield.

Under such circumstances, the Seahawks would have been a perennial playoff team and the potential for a move to California never even becomes an option. A new stadium would have been funded with far less complications and the team would have entered the new millennium on a far different note.

On the flip side, Allen may have never entered the picture and simply remained the owner of the NBA's Trail Blazers. Knowing how things played out under his leadership, fans might be okay with the blip that was the Behring era.