The Seattle Seahawks are entering a new era. On Saturday, the estate of late owner Paul Allen confirmed a full sale of the franchise to a group led by billionaire Vinod Khosla, ending a 30-year chapter that brought the team its first Super Bowl titles.
The deal, valued at a staggering $9.612 billion, is the highest price ever paid for an NFL team. The sale still needs approval from the league's other 31 owners, a process expected to take several months.
In a statement, the estate 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. The Khosla family will become the team’s controlling owner.”
Khosla, a Silicon Valley titan and co-founder of Sun Microsystems, expressed his intent to build on the legacy Allen created. “We are honored to be entrusted as the next stewards of the Seattle Seahawks,” he said. “We look forward to building on the winning legacy Paul Allen created and to earning the trust of the Seahawks organization and fans everywhere.”
Paul Allen bought the Seahawks in 1997 for $200 million. Under his leadership, the team reached its first Super Bowl in 2005 and won its first championship in 2013. They returned to the big game the following year. After Allen's death in 2018, control passed to his sister Jody, who oversaw the team's most recent Super Bowl victory this past season.
The sale marks the end of a remarkable run. Fans are hopeful the Khosla family will maintain a hands-off approach, given the team's current strength. The Seahawks are set to celebrate their latest Super Bowl win at Lumen Field against the New England Patriots this September, but for the first time in three decades, the trophy won't be held by an Allen.
For more on the record-breaking deal, check out the full breakdown of the sale. And for those still buzzing about the Super Bowl, there's plenty of chatter around Tom Brady's alleged role in the Seahawks' win.
