The Seattle Seahawks are getting new ownership less than six months after winning the franchise’s second Super Bowl. The team announced Saturday that the estate of late owner Paul Allen has reached a formal agreement to sell the club to a group led by venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, his wife Neeru Khosla and their son Neal Khosla.
The price is steep. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Seth Wickersham reported the sale value at $9.612 billion, a figure the Seattle Times says was independently confirmed to them by a league source. That would smash the previous NFL record of $6.05 billion, set when Josh Harris’s group bought the Washington Commanders in 2023.
The Seahawks made it official in a statement Saturday. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed publicly, and the sale still needs NFL approval before it’s final.
Statement and Reaction
Vinod Khosla spoke on behalf of the family in the team’s release. “We are honored to be entrusted as the next stewards of the Seattle Seahawks,” he said, according to the Allen estate’s official statement. “We look forward to building on the winning legacy Paul Allen created and to earning the trust of the Seahawks organization and fans everywhere.”
Khosla followed with a post on X, keeping things characteristically brief. “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 [link]” —
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
Notably, a memo the NFL sent to teams Saturday — reported by both the Seattle Times and Sports Illustrated — states that Neeru Khosla, not Vinod, will be the team’s controlling owner, with Neal Khosla expected to hold a significant leadership role in the ownership group.
Who Is Vinod Khosla
Khosla, 71, is the India-born co-founder of Sun Microsystems and founder of Khosla Ventures, a Menlo Park venture capital firm. According to Sportico, his firm’s exits include Affirm, Opendoor and DoorDash. Forbes puts his net worth at roughly $13.7 to $15.6 billion depending on the report, and he already holds a minority stake in the Seahawks’ NFC West rival, the San Francisco 49ers.
That overlap is a problem under NFL rules — one owner can’t control interests in two teams — so Khosla will have to sell off his 49ers stake, which he bought in 2025 at a valuation north of $8.5 billion, before the Seahawks deal can close.
His son Neal Khosla is the co-founder and CEO of Curai Health, an AI-driven virtual care company. His wife Neeru co-founded and chairs the CK-12 Foundation, a nonprofit focused on free educational tools.
How the Sale Came Together
The Allen estate announced in February that it had begun a formal sale process for the team, consistent with Paul Allen’s wish that his sports holdings eventually be sold and the proceeds directed to charity. Investment bank Allen & Company and law firm Latham & Watkins ran the process through the offseason.
Khosla’s group wasn’t the only one in the running. The Seattle Times reported his group was one of two finalists, with the other led by Boston Celtics alternate governor Wyc Grousbeck and including Aditya Mittal, a member of one of India’s richest families, among its investors.
Allen bought the Seahawks in 1997 for $194 million after local officials worked to keep the team from relocating to Southern California. He died in 2018 at 65, and his sister, Jody Allen, has run the franchise as executor of his estate ever since. The estate also recently agreed to sell the Portland Trail Blazers to a group led by Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon, a deal still awaiting NBA approval.
What Happens Next
The deal is not done. NFL owners need to approve any change in team control, and that requires sign-off from at least 24 of the league’s 32 franchises. The Seattle Times and multiple other outlets report that vote is expected at a league meeting on August 26, after the league’s finance committee first reviews the transaction.
League rules also cap franchise debt at $1.5 billion and require the controlling owner to hold at least a 30% stake, which is part of why the Khosla family’s exact ownership structure — and the required 49ers divestiture — still has to be finalized before anything is official.
| Team | Sale Price | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks (Khosla group, pending) | $9.612 billion | 2026 |
| Washington Commanders (Josh Harris group) | $6.05 billion | 2023 |
| Los Angeles Lakers (NBA, Mark Walter) | ~$10 billion | 2025 |
For a fan base still riding high off a Super Bowl LX win over the Patriots, the ownership change adds an unusual wrinkle to an otherwise triumphant offseason. Lumen Field remains under lease through at least 2032 with extension options, and nothing in the reported deal terms suggests any change to the team’s home in Seattle.
