NFL Owners Approve Record $9.612 Billion Sale of Seattle Seahawks

NFL owners have approved the sale of the Seattle Seahawks to an ownership group led by billionaire Vinod Khosla for $9.612 billion, according to BBC Sport. The transaction, which needed backing from at least 24 of the league’s 32 owners, establishes a new record price for an NFL franchise.

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The approval advances a process that began when the estate of Paul G. Allen agreed terms with the Khosla family on July 11 following a search for a buyer. Allen, the Microsoft co-founder who purchased the Seahawks in 1997, died in 2018. His estate inherited the team, while his sister Jody Allen became chair of both the Seahawks and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers.

BBC Sport reported that the Seahawks price exceeds the $6.05 billion paid for the Washington Commanders in 2023. It is currently the second-largest amount paid for a North American sports franchise, behind the $10 billion sale of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers in 2025. The BBC also reported that the Lakers are again changing ownership in a deal valued at a reported $12.5 billion.

Khosla said at a Wednesday press conference that the new group intends to take a long-term approach and build on the winning record established under Allen. He also acknowledged that the owners plan to learn from the Seahawks’ management. As part of the purchase agreement, Khosla must give up his minority stake in the San Francisco 49ers.

The 71-year-old Khosla co-founded technology company Sun Microsystems and later founded venture capital firm Khosla Ventures. BBC Sport, citing Forbes, reported his net worth at $13.2 billion. The sale transfers control of a team that enters the ownership change as the reigning Super Bowl champion.

The Allen era produced sustained success in Seattle. Paul Allen’s 1997 purchase prevented a proposed relocation to Southern California, and the Seahawks reached the playoffs 17 times across the 29 seasons in which Paul or Jody Allen was in charge. Seattle appeared in four Super Bowls during that span and won two. The team is scheduled to open its season against the New England Patriots on September 9, a rematch with the opponent it defeated in February’s Super Bowl.