The Cleveland Browns are changing hands. Of course, the various NFL owners have to approve the sale from Randy Lerner to Jimmy Haslam, but it's hard to imagine it being anything more than a formality at this point. Outside of the fact that the team is reportedly going for about $1 billion - much more than their valuation - there's not much to note outside of the job status of team president Mike Holmgren.
It might not be fair to say that things haven't changed drastically enough since Holmgren took over. He came in and took the reigns on one of the worst teams in the NFL and everybody knew it was going to be a long process. That being said, not everyone is happy with what's been done thus far, and there's talk about the new ownership group potentially replacing him.
The thought is that former Philadelphia Eagles president Joe Banner could replace him, as he's part of the ownership group with Haslam. But Jason La Canfora took to Twitter to suggest that Holmgren could be out either way:
As filed to
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) August 2, 2012@cbssports.com, even if Joe Banner does not become team pres under new owner Haslam, Mike Holmgren could still be out ...
La Canfora also had a Tweet that Banner ending up in Cleveland is far from a slam dunk - adding that the sale is likely to go through either way. It's a possibility that hasn't been explored much, but it really does make sense. Even if the ownership doesn't have a guy in mind - or if they do and it isn't Banner - it makes sense that they'd want to make sure the team is run their way, and Holmgren is the kind of guy who demands total control.
Lastly, La Canfora had a third Tweet in which he mentions that the timing of the owners' meeting to approve the sale could be a factor in whether or not Holmgren remains with the team. If it's far into the season and they're doing well, perhaps that will reflect well on Holmgren, or perhaps they just wouldn't want to have that kind of shakeup at that point in the season. It would seem his chances of remaining through 2012 increase based on how long it takes the sale to go through.
For more on the Cleveland Browns, go to Dawgs By Nature. You can also get all of your professional football news over at SB Nation's NFL hub.