The Paul Allen era in Seattle is ending. The Seahawks announced Saturday that the estate of the late owner has reached an agreement to sell the Super Bowl champions to the Khosla family for a reported record $9.612 billion, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Seth Wickersham. The price shatters the previous NFL high of $6.05 billion, paid for the Washington Commanders in 2023.
Vinod Khosla, the Sun Microsystems co-founder and Khosla Ventures head who already owns a minority stake in the San Francisco 49ers, leads the buying group. But the NFL memo obtained by ESPN and confirmed by multiple outlets adds a wrinkle: it’s his wife, Neeru Khosla, who will serve as the team’s controlling owner, not Vinod. Their son Neal, CEO of the AI healthcare company Curai, is expected to hold a significant leadership role as well.
What the NFL memo says
The league sent a memo to all 32 teams Saturday laying out the terms. According to the memo obtained by Field Gulls, the sale followed “a thorough sales process run by Allen & Co.” that drew “very robust interest” from multiple qualified bidders before the Khosla group emerged as the preferred buyer.
Per the memo, the deal remains subject to membership review and approval. The NFL says it has begun reviewing transaction documents and running customary due diligence on the ownership group, with findings to be reported to the league’s Finance Committee ahead of a full ownership vote. That vote could come as soon as a league meeting on Aug. 26, according to the Seattle Times, where 24 of the NFL’s 32 owners would need to sign off.
One condition isn’t optional. The Khosla family currently holds a 3.1% limited partner stake in the 49ers — Seattle’s longtime NFC West rival — and the memo confirms they’ll be required to divest that interest entirely before taking control of the Seahawks.
Khosla breaks his silence, then goes quiet
Khosla posted on X shortly after the announcement. “Excited to be part of this great franchise. Also excited to see the money all go to a non-profit. No other comments till sale is final” —
Excited to be part of this great franchise. Also excited to see the money all go to a non-profit. No other comments till sale is final but more about us at https://t.co/TZClc4dwFd https://t.co/OEko8fjKs1
— Vinod Khosla (@vkhosla) July 11, 2026
That’s expected to be the last word from the family until the NFL formally signs off. In a statement released through the team, Vinod Khosla struck a more measured tone than his social media post: “We are honored to be entrusted as the next stewards of the Seattle Seahawks. We look forward to building on the winning legacy Paul Allen created and to earning the trust of the Seahawks organization and fans everywhere.”
Why now, and why this price
The sale has been coming since Paul Allen died in October 2018. Allen, who also co-founded Microsoft, directed his estate to eventually sell both the Seahawks and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, with proceeds going to charity — part of the Giving Pledge commitment he signed in 2010. His sister, Jody Allen, has chaired the estate and run the franchise since his death. The Trail Blazers were already sold in March, going to a group led by Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon for a reported $4.25 billion.
The Seahawks estate formally put the team up for sale on Feb. 18, less than two weeks after Seattle won its second Super Bowl title. Allen & Company and law firm Latham & Watkins ran the process. Khosla’s group reportedly beat out competition that included a bid led by steel magnate Aditya Mittal, whose group featured former Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, according to Sportico.
The number itself tells the story of where NFL franchise values have gone. Paul Allen bought the Seahawks for $194 million in 1997. A $9.612 billion sale price means the franchise’s value has grown nearly 50 times over in under three decades — a jump that reflects both the league’s TV deals and the scarcity of teams that ever actually change hands. Only three franchises have formally gone up for sale in the past decade.
| Team | Sale Price | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks (pending) | $9.612 billion | 2026 |
| Washington Commanders | $6.05 billion | 2023 |
| Denver Broncos | $4.65 billion | 2022 |
| Portland Trail Blazers (NBA) | $4.25 billion | 2026 |
What stays the same in Seattle
Fans anxious about relocation chatter can exhale for now. The Seahawks play under a lease at Lumen Field that runs through 2032 with three 10-year options attached, and NFL relocation rules set a high bar — including a three-fourths ownership vote — that has historically kept moves rare. Nothing in the reported deal terms suggests a shift out of Seattle is on the table.
There’s also a built-in local safeguard tied to the stadium itself. Per the Seattle Times, a provision from 1997’s Referendum 48 — the ballot measure that funded Lumen Field’s construction — required that if the Seahawks sold before May 2, 2025, 10% of the gross sale price would go to the Public Stadium Authority. That window has already passed, but it underscores how tightly the team’s ownership history has been tied to Seattle’s civic infrastructure from the start.
The Seahawks are coming off a 29-13 win over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl this past February, their second title in franchise history. It’s the first time in the Super Bowl era that a defending champion has changed hands the following offseason. The league and team both hope the transfer is finalized before Seattle hosts New England again to open the regular season on Sept. 9 — a quick turnaround for a deal of this size, and a reminder that not everything about a $9.6 billion transaction moves at Wall Street speed. The NFL’s approval process still has the final say.
