Khosla-led group seen as good match for Seahawks’ ‘culture’

Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald were part of the “interviewing” process for prospective ownership groups, NFL Network insider Steve Wyche said in a video posted to the league’s website.

Seahawks sale: What to know about the Khosla family

Wyche offered that nugget as part of his reaction to the Seahawks’ announcement on Saturday that the Paul G. Allen estate had reached an agreement to sell the franchise to a group led by the Khosla family.

“I know that they (Schneider and Macdonald) were part of the process in interviewing, so to speak, some of the ownership groups when they came through the Seahawks’ facility in the minicamp era of the summer,” Wyche said. “So they were feeling out the ownership groups (and) the ownership groups were feeling out them.”

The Khosla-led group is set to buy the Seahawks a reported NFL-record $9.612 billion, pending approval from league owners, who are expected to vote on the transaction at a special Aug. 26 league meeting, according to ESPN.

The group is spearheaded by tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, along with his wife Neeru Khosla and their son Neal Khosla.

In the video, fellow NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo said the Allen estate believes the Khosla-led group is a good match for the Seahawks’ culture. Fresh off their second Super Bowl title, the Seahawks are widely regarded as one of the most stable and well-run franchises in the NFL.

“I’ve heard this said repeatedly: Owning an NFL team is like joining a country club,” Garafolo said. “You can have the money, but do you get approved and are you selected to be part of this whole crew here?

“I think the big point I should make here is that this is a team that has a certain culture, and the belief is that this new ownership group, based on the estate of Paul Allen, believes that this group is going to match that culture.”

The Khosla family is set to be the fourth owner in the Seahawks’ 51-year history, joining Lloyd Nordstrom (1976-87), Ken Behring (1988-96) and Allen (1997-2018). Allen’s sister, Jody Allen, served as the Seahawks’ chair following Allen’s death.

Since Allen purchased the team in 1997, the Seahawks have totaled the fifth-most wins in the NFL, along with two Super Bowl titles, four Super Bowl appearances, 11 division championships and 17 playoff appearances.

“It’s pretty much a hands-off ownership culture that the Allen family has had,” Wyche said. “They let the football people run the football and the business people run the business and the ownership just kind of stands by. And that’s probably what they were looking for when you talk about maintaining a similar type of culture.”

Seattle Seahawks news and more

• Wickersham: Seahawks brass had ‘really good feel’ for Khosla family
• Brock & Salk’s reaction to Seattle Seahawks’ sale agreement
• Khosla family group agrees to buy Seahawks for reported record price

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