Being an owner of a sports franchise takes a lot of determination and money, and it appears that one Pro Football Hall of Famer is throwing his hat into the ring. Charles Woodson is looking to follow Tom Brady’s path into ownership, and this is going to be interesting.
Charles Woodson Getting Ready To Join Cleveland Browns Ownership
The Athletic’s Diana Russini is reporting that Woodson is set to purchase a 0.1% stake in the Browns from the Haslam family. He is from Fremont, Ohio, which is about 80 miles west of Cleveland, so to become a minority owner makes sense. This deal has some characteristics similar to Brady’s, as he would need to remove his name, image, and likeness from businesses he is currently involved in.
It will be interesting to see if this trend of former players entering ownership roles continues, as there are a handful of former NFL, NBA, and MLB players with ownership stakes in other franchises. Woodson currently has two businesses: Charles Woodson’s Intercept Wines and Woodson Bourbon Whiskey.
The Browns are one of the most valuable sports franchises. They were 19th in the NFL in August 2024, per Forbes, and their valuation was $5.15 billion. The organization is fully owned by Dee and Jimmy Haslam.
Woodson spent 18 years in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers and then-Oakland Raiders. He is far from the only NFL athlete to get into an ownership position with a sports team. Patrick Mahomes is a part-owner of the Kansas City Royals, Marshawn Lynch owns a percentage of the Seattle Kraken, and, of course, there is Brady with the Raiders.
This could be something that is going to help with player discussions, as having a former player with Pro Football Hall of Fame credentials as a mediator could aid organizational growth.
Hall of Famer Charles Woodson is set to purchase a 0.1% stake in the Browns from the Haslam family.
The sale is contingent upon Woodson agreeing to similar broadcasting restrictions to Raiders owner Tom Brady and removing his name, image and likeness from businesses he is… pic.twitter.com/pNjwavk6ah
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) May 15, 2025
Russini’s reported 0.1% figure would equate to $510,000 with the $5.1 billion valuation.
The Hall of Famer’s input could be invaluable in a franchise that is still looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. On a team that’s only in the headlines for what appears to be a backup QB in rookie Shedeur Sanders, a big turnaround is needed.
