The Seattle Seahawks officially announced Saturday that the Khosla family, including Vinod Khosla, has agreed to take ownership of the franchise — a move made in keeping with the wishes of the team’s late owner, Paul Allen.
According to a source with knowledge of the transaction, the Khosla family has entered into a formal agreement to buy the defending Super Bowl champions for $9.612 billion. The source spoke with The Associated Press under the condition of anonymity, as the deal has not yet received final approval from the NFL.
A social media post from the Seahawks confirmed that the Khosla family will take on the role of controlling owner.
“We are honored to be entrusted as the next stewards of the Seattle Seahawks,” Vinod Khosla said in a prepared 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.”
Allen’s estate announced on February 18 that it had kicked off the process of selling the team, which recently captured its second Super Bowl title in franchise history. Investment bank Allen & Company LLC and law firm Latham & Watkins guided the sales process, which was expected back in February to stretch through the offseason.
As a condition of the purchase, the Khosla family will be required to sell off its ownership interest in the San Francisco 49ers.
NFL owners are still required to ratify a final purchase agreement. ESPN reported that team owners are expected to convene in August to vote on approving the transaction.
The Seahawks have been under Allen family ownership since 1997, when Paul Allen purchased the team for $194 million from then-owner Ken Behring. Allen played a pivotal role in keeping the franchise in Seattle, and the team is expected to remain there once the sale is complete.
The Seahawks hold a lease at Lumen Field that extends through 2032, with three additional 10-year options available.
Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft, passed away in 2018 from complications related to non-Hodgkin lymphoma at the age of 65. Since his death, both the Seahawks and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers have been managed by his sister, Jody.
In September, Allen’s estate reached an agreement to sell the Trail Blazers to an investment group headed by Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon. That deal, which includes a commitment to keep the Trail Blazers in Portland, is still awaiting final sign-off from the NBA Board of Governors.
The most recent NFL franchise sale before this one was the Washington Commanders in 2023, when a group led by Josh Harris — which includes Magic Johnson — purchased the team from longtime owner Dan Snyder and his family for a then-record $6.05 billion.
The Seahawks claimed the Super Bowl title this past February with a 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots.
