NFL owners approve Seahawks sale to Khosla-led group

NFL owners voted unanimously to approve the record-breaking $9.612 billion sale of the Seattle Seahawks from Paul Allen’s estate to a group led by the Khosla family on Wednesday.

Seahawks sale: What to know about the Khosla family

The sale needed approval from at least 24 of 32 owners at the special league meeting in Atlanta. The vote was widely viewed as a foregone conclusion after the NFL’s finance and ownership policy committees gave a unanimous recommendation of approval last week.

The sale is now expected to be finalized in the next week, per The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta. At that point, the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks will officially change hands after 29 success-filled years under the Allen family’s ownership.

The Seahawks kick off the 2026 NFL season on Sept. 9 in a Super Bowl rematch against the New England Patriots at Lumen Field.

The Paul G. Allen estate announced on July 11 that it reached a sales agreement with the Khosla-led group, which is spearheaded by tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, along with his wife Neeru Khosla and their son Neal Khosla.

The Seahawks’ selling price shattered the previous NFL record of $6.05 billion, which the Washington Commanders sold for in 2023. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers hold the record for a North American pro sports franchise. They were sold for $10 billion in October 2025 and are in the process of being sold again for $12.5 billion.

Vinod Khosla, 71, is the co-founder of Sun Microsystems and the founder of Khosla Ventures. He is worth approximately $13.3 billion, according to Forbes.

According to a memo the NFL reportedly sent to its teams, Neeru Khosla is slated to serve as the Seahawks’ controlling owner, while Neal Khosla is expected to have “a significant leadership role” in the ownership group.

Vinod and Neal Khosla bought a 3.1% stake in the San Francisco 49ers in May 2025, and will have to relinquish that stake per NFL rules. According to Sportico, it’s become common for new NFL owners to first buy stake in other NFL franchises, which gives them and the league familiarity with each other.

The Allen estate announced in February that it was putting the Seahawks up for sale, less than two weeks after the franchise won its second Super Bowl title.

A Seahawks sale has been expected since Allen’s death in 2018. The Microsoft co-founder 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.

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.

Seattle Seahawks news and more

• Seahawks place rookie Bud Clark, OL Mason Richman on IR; sign 3 players
• Brock on Seahawks: Stock up, stock down after 2nd preseason game
• What stood out in Seattle Seahawks’ preseason loss to Titans

Related

Leonard Williams: Macdonald’s authenticity set tone for Seahawks’ successStacy Rost: Making sense of the Sam Darnold discourseSeahawks on ‘Hard Knocks’: Highlights from episode 4Seahawks place rookie Bud Clark, OL Mason Richman on IR; sign 3 playersSoundgarden reunites to play halftime of Seahawks’ season openerSeahawks waive RB who may head back to college football