NFL Owners Approve $9.6bn Seahawks Sale to Khosla
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- NFL owners approved the $9.612bn sale of the Seattle Seahawks to a group led by Vinod Khosla, requiring support from at least 24 of 32 owners
- The deal is the second-highest price ever paid for a North American sports franchise, behind the Los Angeles Lakers' $10bn 2025 sale and ahead of the Washington Commanders' $6.05bn 2023 sale
- The estate of Paul G. Allen agreed to terms with the Khosla family on 11 July; Allen had bought the team from Ken Behring in 1997 to prevent its relocation to Southern California
- Jody Allen, Paul Allen's sister and chair of both the Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers, took over after her brother's 2018 death with a mandate to sell and donate proceeds to charity
- Under Allen family stewardship spanning 29 seasons, the Seahawks reached the playoffs 17 times and won two of four Super Bowl appearances
- Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and founder of Khosla Ventures with a $13.2bn net worth per Forbes, must relinquish a minority stake in the San Francisco 49ers as part of the agreement
Why it matters: The Seahawks transfer from the Allen family's 29-year run — which delivered 17 playoff trips and two Super Bowl titles — into the hands of a long-horizon tech investor who described the purchase as a "gift" and pledged to "keep the winning streak alive" while learning from existing management and fellow owners.
Ask SkimNews
