NFL Owners Unanimously Approve $9.6 Billion Seahawks Sale

ATLANTA — NFL team owners voted unanimously Wednesday to ratify the league-record $9.612 billion sale of the Seahawks, ushering in a new era for the reigning Super Bowl champions following nearly three decades of ownership by the family of late Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen.

The owners vote came during a special one-day league meeting at an Atlanta airport hotel. The result was a foregone conclusion after the owners on the NFL’s finance and ownership policy committees voted unanimously last week to recommend approval of the purchase by a group led by the family of venture capitalist Vinod Khosla.

“As Roger [Goodell] said, it’s pretty simple when the team is functioning as well as it is today,” Khosla said. “How often do you get to buy a franchise that just won the Super Bowl? So we are incredibly lucky and humbled by this gift… from the Allen trust.”

The deal is expected to close next month. Allen’s estate announced last month that it had reached an agreement with the Khosla-led group. Khosla’s wife, Neeru Khosla, will serve as the Seahawks’ controlling owner. Their son, Neal Khosla, is to have a role in ownership of the franchise.

Applause could be heard from inside the owners’ meeting room following the vote.

“The task ahead is actually pretty simple: Keep the winning streak alive,” Vinod Khosla said. “Get another Super Bowl. That’s simple. In general, our approach is generally going to be long-term focused. That’s our inclination always. So keep winning, take a longterm approach and learn a lot…. We’ll just be in learning mode for quite some time.”

The Khosla family holds a minority ownership stake in the 49ers and must divest itself of that interest, although similar situations involving other NFL owners sometimes have taken months to resolve.

“They know our league well,” Goodell said. “… They understand the passion of the NFL. They understand the 12s,” he said, referring to the nickname for Seattle’s rabid fans. “They understand the Seattle community and the NFL. And so that makes this transaction particularly attractive to all of us.”

 Goodell also cited the experience by the Khosla family in the technology sector.

 “As we address many of those issues, I think their expertise will be incredibly valuable to us in helping us make better decisions moving forward,” Goodell said. “And I know, most importantly with tremendous confidence, that they will be outstanding caretakers of the Seattle Seahawks and the organization and the great partnership they have with their community.”

The new Seahawks owners have not yet identified the other investors in their ownership group. Under NFL rules, the group can contain no more than 25 investors and the principal owner must hold at least a 30 percent stake.

The sale price represents a 59 percent increase over the $6.05 billion that a group led by private equity investor Josh Harris paid to buy the Commanders from Daniel Snyder in 2023, the previous NFL record.

Khosla, 71, is the co-founder of Sun Microsystems and the founder of Khosla Ventures. Forbes estimates his net worth at $13.4 billion.

The new owners inherit one of the NFL’s most stable and successful franchises, with a devoted fan base, a front office overseen on the football-operations side by widely respected executive John Schneider, and a well-regarded coach in Mike Macdonald. The Seahawks beat the Patriots in February in Santa Clara, Calif., for their second Super Bowl title under the Allen family’s ownership.

Allen purchased an option in 1996 to buy the franchise from Ken Behring and completed the $194 million deal in 1997. He died in 2018. Allen directed that the Seahawks and the NBA team that he owned, the Trail Blazers, be sold and the proceeds donated to charity.

His sister, Jody Allen, served as the Seahawks’ de facto owner after his death, as trustee of her brother’s trust. The estate announced following the Super Bowl that it had commenced the sale process for the Seahawks, overseen by investment bank Allen & Company and law firm Latham & Watkins.

The Seahawks are scheduled to host the NFL’s season-opening game Sept. 9 against the Patriots at Lumen Field in Seattle.

“I also have to say you have great timing,” Goodell said, addressing the Khosla family directly. “It’s not very often you can buy a Super Bowl championship team. But you’ve done that. Many of our owners struggle to find ways to get in the Super Bowl and win a trophy. And you’ll be walking into your new building shortly with a fresh, shiny trophy there for you.”