The Seattle Seahawks sold for $9.612 billion on Wednesday after NFL owners approved the deal, making it the second highest price ever paid for a franchise in North American sports history. The buyer is a group led by Vinod Khosla, a 71-year-old billionaire with a net worth of $13.2 billion according to Forbes.
The deal surpasses the $6.05 billion the Washington Commanders fetched in 2023. The NBA's Los Angeles Lakers sold for $10 billion in 2025 and are currently in the process of changing ownership again for a reported $12.5 billion, which would rank ahead of the Seahawks sale.
The approval required support from at least 24 of 32 NFL owners. BBC Sport reported the terms were first agreed on July 11 between the Khosla family and the estate of Paul G. Allen, the Microsoft co-founder who owned the team until his death in 2018.
Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and founder of the venture capital firm Khosla Ventures, addressed reporters at a press conference Wednesday. He will be required to relinquish a minority stake in the San Francisco 49ers as part of the agreement.
"We are honoured to be entrusted as the next stewards of the Seattle Seahawks. How often do you get to buy a franchise that just won the Super Bowl?" Khosla said. "We are incredibly lucky and humbled by this gift, I would say, from the Allen trust."
On what comes next, Khosla was direct. "The task ahead is actually pretty simple - keep the winning streak alive, get another Super Bowl," he said. "Our approach is generally going to be long-term focused, that's our inclination always. So, keep winning, take a long-term approach, and learn a lot. We don't know enough, and the other owners have been incredibly welcoming and willing to teach us, so we'll learn a lot."
Allen originally bought the Seahawks from Ken Behring in 1997, saving the team from relocating to Southern California. After his death, his sister Jody Allen took control of both the Seahawks and the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers with a directive to eventually sell both teams and donate the proceeds to charity. In the 29 seasons that Paul or Jody Allen were in charge, Seattle made the playoffs 17 times and won two of the four Super Bowls they played in.
