NFL owners unanimously approve sale of Seattle Seahawks to Vinod Khosla-led group in reported $9.612 billion deal

NFL owners voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the sale of the Seattle Seahawks to a group led by Vinod Khosla, clearing a major hurdle for a deal reported at $9.612 billion — the highest price ever paid for an NFL franchise.

ESPN reported that all 32 owners backed the transaction at a one-day league meeting in Atlanta. The seller is the Estate of Paul G. Allen, which has controlled the team since Allen died in 2018. The buyer is a Khosla family-led group that league and team materials identify as Vinod Khosla, his wife, Neeru, and son Neal as the family set to become the team’s controlling owners.

The vote marks one of the league’s biggest ownership changes and sets a new benchmark for an NFL team sale. The reported $9.612 billion price tops the previous record of $6.05 billion paid for the Washington Commanders in 2023, according to ESPN.

Still, league approval is not the same as a completed sale. Under NFL rules, the transaction needed at least 24 of 32 owner votes to pass, and it received all 32. But the Seahawks will not officially change hands until the deal closes. ESPN reported that closing could happen before Seattle’s season opener on Sept. 9.

The sale was first announced July 11, but it required ratification by the league’s owners before moving forward. ESPN also reported that the NFL’s finance committee and ownership policy committee had unanimously recommended approval last week.

The Seahawks have been overseen by Paul Allen’s estate since the Microsoft co-founder died in 2018. Allen bought the team in 1997. In February, the estate said it was beginning a formal sale process consistent with Allen’s will, which directed that his sports holdings be sold and that the proceeds go to philanthropy.

Khosla is best known as a co-founder of Sun Microsystems and the founder of Khosla Ventures. As part of the Seahawks purchase, he must relinquish his minority stake in the San Francisco 49ers under NFL ownership rules.

The ownership group is structured around the Khosla family, with Vinod Khosla, Neeru Khosla and Neal Khosla identified as the future controlling owners once the transaction closes.

When the sale was announced last month, Khosla said the family intended to build on the franchise’s recent history under Allen.

“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,” Khosla said on behalf of the family in the team’s July 11 press release.