An ownership group led by the family of 49ers investor Vinod Khosla has entered an agreement to acquire the Seahawks from the estate of Paul Allen. A source familiar with details of the transaction said the deal values the Seahawks at $9.6B, a record for an NFL team control transaction.
In a statement, Khosla said his family is “honored to be entrusted as the next stewards” of the team. Neeru Khosla, Vinod’s wife, will serve as the team’s control owner. Their son, Neal, is expected to have a leadership role with the franchise.
Investment bank Allen & Co. managed the sale process, while Latham & Watkins provided legal advisory to the Allen estate. The transaction remains subject to approval by NFL owners, with a vote likely to occur before the regular season begins.
Speculation was that the transaction could have been discussed at the Allen & Co. summer conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, with Seahawks Vice Chair Bert Kolde among the attendees. Kolde often handled Seahawks matters.
The Indian-born Khosla, 71, cofounded tech firm Sun Microsystems and later launched venture capital firm Khosla Ventures. The Khosla family previously acquired 3.1% of the 49ers at a $8.6B valuation, though league rules would require that stake to be divested. Forbes estimates Khosla’s net worth at $13.7B.
Khosla took to X after the announcement, “Excited to be part of this great franchise. Also excited to see the money all go to a non-profit. No other comments till sale is final.” He then included a link to his Wikipedia page for “more info about us.”
Neeru Khosla is described as an educator and entrepreneur in a memo to NFL teams first published by NFL Network. Neal Khosla is listed as cofounder and CEO of Curai Health, an AI-driven healthcare platform.
The Seahawks’ $9.6B valuation falls within general expectations for the long-awaited sale of the team, which was mandated by Allen’s estate. The team has been controlled by Jody Allen since her brother’s death in 2018.
The NFL’s prior record control sale was the Josh Harris-led acquisition of the Commanders for $6B in 2023. The Seahawks value falls short of the overall control sale valuation record set last October when Mark Walter acquired the Lakers for $10B. Minority NFL team stakes, including for the Dolphins and Giants, have recently traded at $10B-plus valuations.
Staff writer Ben Fischer contributed to this report.
