NFL owners approve sale of Seattle Seahawks to Khosla family
NFL owners voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve the sale of the Seattle Seahawks franchise to the Khosla family, led by Vinod and Neeru Khosla, from former owner Jody Allen, Commissioner Roger Goodell announced.
The Khosla family entered into a formal sale agreement with the Paul G. Allen Estate on July 11 for a league-record price of $9.612 billion, ESPN reported.
Allen’s estate announced on Feb. 18 it had begun the process of selling the team, which is coming off its second Super Bowl victory in franchise history.
"How often do you get to buy a franchise that just won the Super Bowl?" Vinod Khosla said Wednesday, flanked by his co-owners, wife Neeru and son Neal Khosla, at the NFL owners' meeting in Atlanta. "We are incredibly lucky and humbled by this gift, I would say, from the Allen trust."
Goodell joked the Khoslas have "great timing" in purchasing the reigning Super Bowl champs, adding, "I know, most importantly, with tremendous confidence that they will be tremendous caretakers of the Seattle Seahawks, the organization and the great partnership they have with the community."
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The Seahawks had been in the Allen family since 1997, when Paul Allen bought the team for $194 million from then-owner Ken Behring. Allen was critical in keeping the Seahawks in Seattle, which is where the team is expected to remain.
The Seahawks have a lease at Lumen Field that runs through 2032 with three 10-year options.
Asked about his long-term plans for the stadium, Vinod Khosla called Lumen Field "iconic and very much a part of the Seahawks' brand."
"Obviously, we're not owners yet and we need to learn a lot more," Khosla said, "but we will work with management and with others and with the community in Seattle to hopefully preserve this iconic brand."
Since Paul Allen, cofounder of Microsoft, died in 2018 from complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma at 65, the Seahawks and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers had been owned by his sister, Jody.
The estate agreed in September to sell the Trail Blazers to an investment group led by Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon. The Trail Blazers will remain in Portland as part of the deal, which is awaiting final approval from the NBA Board of Governors.
The last NFL team to be sold was the Washington Commanders in 2023. A group led by Josh Harris that includes Magic Johnson bought the team from longtime owner Dan Snyder and his family for a record $6.05 billion.
The Seahawks beat the New England Patriots, 29-13, in the Super Bowl in February.
"The task ahead is actually pretty simple," Vinod Khosla said. "Keep the winning streak alive. Get another Super Bowl."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.