Estate Reaches Agreement to Sell Seattle Seahawks to Khosla-Led Group

The Estate of Paul G. Allen has reached a formal agreement to sell the Seattle Seahawks to an ownership group led by the Khosla family, the team and estate said Saturday, marking a major step in the NFL franchise’s sale process. The deal is not yet final: the parties did not disclose the terms, and the transaction still requires NFL approval.

In a release dated July 11, 2026, the Seahawks said, “The Estate of Paul G. Allen today announced it has entered into a formal sale agreement with an ownership group led by the Khosla family, including Vinod Khosla, for the Seattle Seahawks NFL franchise.” If the transaction is approved, the Khosla family would become the team’s controlling owner. Vinod Khosla said in the release, “We are honored to be entrusted as the next stewards of the Seattle Seahawks. We look forward to building on the winning legacy Paul Allen created and to earning the trust of the Seahawks organization and fans everywhere.”

The announcement does not complete the transfer of the team. The release said, “Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction remains subject to NFL approval in the months ahead.” NFL franchise sales require approval from the league, making Saturday’s announcement an agreement to sell rather than a completed ownership change.

The Seahawks have remained under Paul Allen’s ownership structure since his death in October 2018. Allen, the Microsoft co-founder, bought the team in 1997 and owned it until his death. Since then, the franchise has been held by the Paul G. Allen Trust, with his sister, Jody Allen, serving as executor of the Estate of Paul G. Allen, trustee of the trust and chair of the Seahawks.

The estate formally opened the sale process on Feb. 18, 2026. At that time, it said Allen & Company and Latham & Watkins would lead the process. The estate also said the sale was consistent with Paul Allen’s directive that proceeds from the transaction be directed to philanthropy, a plan that has framed the team’s path toward a new ownership group.

Saturday’s announcement points toward the likely end of the Seahawks’ long period under the Allen trust rather than the immediate start of new ownership. For nearly eight years after Paul Allen’s death, the franchise stayed in the trust instead of passing to a new family owner. The agreement with the Khosla-led group now sets up the next step, but only if NFL owners approve the deal in the months ahead.

Vinod Khosla is a technology entrepreneur and venture capitalist. The Seahawks and estate identified the buyer only as an ownership group led by the Khosla family, including Khosla. Earlier trade reporting had identified the Khosla family as a leading bidder during the sale process and reported that the family held a minority stake in the San Francisco 49ers, a holding that those outlets said would likely need to be addressed under NFL ownership rules if the Seahawks purchase is approved.