A group led by Vinod Khosla, his wife Neeru, and their son Neal has reached a $9.6 billion agreement to acquire the Seattle Seahawks from the Paul Allen estate, according to reports. The price tag would set a new record for an NFL franchise sale, surpassing the previous $6.05 billion paid for the Washington Commanders in 2023.
The Seahawks confirmed the pending sale in a statement, though financial terms were not officially disclosed. The deal is expected to be reviewed by the NFL's finance committee before a vote by league owners, which could come as soon as late next month at a scheduled league meeting. At least 24 of the 32 NFL owners must approve the transaction for it to become final.
Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and founder of Khosla Ventures, currently holds a minority stake in the San Francisco 49ers as a limited partner. As part of the agreement, his family will be required to sell that stake before assuming control of the Seahawks. The Khosla family will become the fourth ownership group in the franchise's 51-year history.
«We are honored to be entrusted as the next stewards of the Seattle Seahawks,» Vinod Khosla said in a statement 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 follows the wishes of Paul Allen, the late Microsoft co-founder who purchased the Seahawks in 1997 for $194 million. Allen died in October 2018, and his sister Jody Allen has chaired the Paul G. Allen Estate since then. In February, the estate put the Seahawks up for sale, with proceeds from the transaction directed to charitable causes as Allen had intended.
The $9.6 billion price tag would easily eclipse the NFL's previous sale record but still falls short of the $10 billion paid for the Los Angeles Lakers in October 2024, which remains the richest deal in North American sports history. The Seahawks' sale reflects the soaring valuations of professional sports franchises, driven by lucrative media rights deals and growing demand from wealthy investors.
Vinod and Neeru Khosla have been married since 1980. Vinod Khosla is a prominent venture capitalist and co-founder of Sun Microsystems, a technology company that played a key role in the development of computer networking. He later founded Khosla Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on technology and clean energy investments. Neeru Khosla holds a master's degree in molecular biology from San Jose State University and is also an entrepreneur. Their son, Neal Khosla, is a Stanford graduate and co-founder and CEO of Curai Health, a healthcare technology company.
Beyond the Khosla family, it remains unclear what other parties may be involved in the investor group. Earlier this week, Front Office Sports reported that a group led by Celtics alternate governors Wyc Grousbeck and Aditya Mittal was viewed as one of two finalists in the Seahawks bidding process, indicating competitive interest in the franchise.
The Seahawks have been one of the NFL's most successful teams under Allen's ownership, winning Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014 and returning to the Super Bowl the following season. The franchise has a passionate fan base in the Pacific Northwest and plays its home games at Lumen Field in Seattle. The team is currently preparing for the 2026 season under its existing coaching staff and roster, with the ownership transition expected to be completed before the start of the season.
The NFL's most recent ownership change occurred in 2023, when Josh Harris led a group that purchased the Washington Commanders for $6.05 billion. That deal also required league approval and set a record at the time. The Seahawks' sale would reset that benchmark, highlighting the continued growth in franchise values across the league.