The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks have been sold to a group led by tech billionaire Vinod Khosla and his family, the estate of late owner Paul Allen announced Saturday. The reported sale price of $9.612 billion sets a record for any NFL franchise sale.
The Khosla family will become the controlling owner of the Seahawks, with Vinod Khosla’s wife Neeru Khosla positioned to serve as the team’s control owner according to an NFL memo. Their son Neal Khosla, CEO of Curai Health, will also have a leadership role in the organization. “We are honored to be entrusted as the next stewards of the Seattle Seahawks,” Vinod Khosla said on behalf of the family. “We look forward to building on the winning legacy Paul Allen created and to earning the trust of the Seahawks organization and fans everywhere.”
The sale price shatters the previous NFL record of $6.05 billion paid by a group led by Josh Harris for the Washington Commanders in 2023. It ranks among the highest valuations ever for a professional sports team in a control transaction, second only to Mark Walter’s $10 billion purchase of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2025.
Khosla, 71, is the founder of Khosla Ventures, a venture capital firm, and co-founder of Sun Microsystems. According to Forbes, he has a net worth of approximately $13.7 billion. His venture firm has made early-stage investments in companies including OpenAI, DoorDash and Instacart. He earned an MBA from Stanford and was born in India, where he studied electrical engineering before immigrating to the United States.
The sale fulfills the wishes of Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder who purchased the Seahawks in 1997 for $194 million. Allen signed The Giving Pledge in 2010, committing to dedicate the majority of his fortune to philanthropy. When Allen died in 2018 from complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma at age 65, his will directed that his sports holdings, including the Seahawks and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, eventually be sold with all proceeds going to charitable causes. His sister Jody Allen, who serves as executor and trustee of his estate, has overseen the sale process.
The Seahawks went up for sale officially in February, just ten days after they captured their second Super Bowl championship in franchise history with a 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots. The team had been expected to come on the market following Allen’s death, but the timing—immediately after a championship—was notably quick. Investment bank Allen & Company and law firm Latham & Watkins led the sales process, with very robust interest reported throughout.
The Khosla group’s bid emerged as the preferred buyer among multiple qualified bidders, beating out a competing offer led by billionaire Aditya Mittal, a member of one of India’s richest families, whose group included Boston Celtics alternate governor Wyc Grousbeck.
The deal is subject to approval by NFL owners. A special meeting to vote on the transaction is expected to take place in late August, with owners required to ratify the agreement before it becomes official. The NFL has commenced review of key transaction documents and is conducting customary due diligence on the prospective ownership group.
As a condition of the acquisition, the Khosla family will be required to divest its ownership stake in the San Francisco 49ers, Khosla’s NFC West rivals. Khosla joined the 49ers ownership group in 2025 by purchasing a 3.1 percent stake at a valuation exceeding $8.5 billion.
The Seahawks have proven to be one of the NFL’s most successful franchises in recent years, making the playoffs in seven of the past ten seasons. The team boasts what many consider one of the league’s best general manager-head coach combinations in John Schneider and Mike Macdonald. They play at Lumen Field, known as one of the toughest stadiums in which to play, and hold a lease running through 2032 with three 10-year options.
The reported sale price represents a stunning increase in the franchise’s valuation. Allen’s initial $194 million purchase in 1997 has grown nearly 50 times in value. Despite the record price, the Seahawks had been expected to sell for substantially more than their estimated $6.59 billion valuation from last year, given the team’s recent championship success and strong organizational foundation.