NFL commish pushes back on reports about Seahawks sale

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell pushed back against reports that there has been a “soft” market for the sale of the Seattle Seahawks.

On May 8, ESPN’s Seth Wickersham reported the NFL had received less interest than expected for the sale of the defending Super Bowl champions. Wickersham’s report sourced an unnamed NFL owner who called the market “soft” and an unnamed team executive who said there was more interest in the recent sales of the Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders.

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When it was announced the Seahawks would be put up for sale by Paul Allen’s estate in February, there was speculation that the purchase of the team would fetch up to $11 billion, which would set the record for the sale price of a North American sports franchise. Wickersham reported there are doubts among owners and league executives the dollar figure will be that high, with the expectation being the team will sale for a figure closer to slightly over $9 billion. That would still be a league record, surpassing the $6.05 billion record sale of the Commanders in 2023.

“Obviously, there have been some reports that I would say are not accurate with respect to the amount of interest,” Goodell told reporters on Tuesday at the league’s spring meetings in Orlando. “It’s exactly the opposite. There’s actually been tremendous interest in the team. The process is moving forward.

“Obviously we’re not going to be discussing that either with the membership or anyone else. We respect the process until it’s completed. Once that happens, then it will be handed over to us and we’ll work through the process of our approval.”

Rumors that the Seahawks would go up for sale this offseason began to surface during the team’s playoff run. On Jan. 30, Wickersham and ESPN Seahawks beat reporter Brady Henderson reported the team would go on the market following the Super Bowl. On Feb. 18, 10 days after Seattle won its second Lombardi Trophy, Allen’s estate announced it was starting the formal sale process of the team.

A sale of the Seahawks had been expected since Allen’s death at age 65 in 2018. He made it a directive for his trust to sell both the Seahawks and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, with proceeds to be donated to philanthropic efforts. Allen’s estate has already sold the Trail Blazers to a group led by Tom Dundon, who also owns the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes.

The Seahawks have been operating under chair Jody Allen, who took control as the trustee of the Paul G. Allen Trust following her brother’s death.

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