Vinod Khosla and his family have struck a deal to buy the Seattle Seahawks – for an amount that has the sports world gasping for breath.
Tech investor Vinod Khosla and his family have reached an agreement to buy the Seattle Seahawks for $9.6 billion. This is reported by Variety’s sister Sportico, who cites sources with knowledge of the case.
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The deal marks one of the highest valuations ever for a sports team in a control transition, approaching the $10 billion price tag that Mark Walter paid for the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers. India-born Khosla, who is a prominent venture capitalist, is worth approximately $13.7 billion according to Forbes. Now he is buying the reigning Super Bowl champions from the estate of the late owner Paul Allen.
Khosla’s group is said to have beaten out several other bidders, including a group led by billionaire Aditya Mittal, a member of one of India’s richest families. The sources wanted to remain anonymous because the details are private. Sportico was the first to report on Khosla’s interest in May.
The family takes over
Khosla’s wife Neeru Khosla will serve as the team’s controlling owner, according to a memo sent by the NFL to its clubs on Saturday. Neeru Khosla is the co-founder and chairman of the board of the CK12 Foundation, a non-profit educational organization. Their son Neal Khosla, who is the CEO of Curai, will also have a leadership role in the team.
It is not yet clear how the agreement will be financed. Khosla did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. Allen’s estate said Saturday in a statement that the team had been sold to the Khosla family, and included a quote from Khosla himself. The statement did not provide any details about the deal’s structure or financing, but confirmed that the Khosla family will be the team’s new controlling owner.
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A rare commodity
The Seahawks are worth $6.59 billion according to Sportico’s figures from last year, but the team was always expected to go for significantly more than that. It’s relatively rare for NFL teams to be sold – this is only the third to be formally put up for sale in the last decade – and the league’s structure effectively guarantees that each team earns a paltry figure annually.
Khosla, who co-founded Sun Microsystems, was one of a handful of local investors who bought into the San Francisco 49ers last year at a valuation of over $8.5 billion. Sportico reported at the time that Khosla bought the largest stake, but the details were not available.
It has become common for new NFL owners to already be limited partners in other franchises – a process that gives them familiarity with the league, and vice versa. Billionaire David Tepper, who bought the Carolina Panthers in 2018, was a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. So was Josh Harris, who bought the Washington Commanders in 2023. Harris’ Commanders group included longtime business partner David Blitzer, who was also a Steelers partner. Khosla will have to sell his stake in the 49ers if the Seahawks deal is completed.
From India to the top of the tech world
Khosla came to the United States in his early twenties. He earned an MBA from Stanford, and co-founded Sun Microsystems in 1982, where he served as the technology company’s first CEO. His career as a venture capitalist started at Kleiner Perkins, and he launched Khosla Ventures in 2004. Among his firm’s most well-known exits are Affirm, Opendoor, and DoorDash – all publicly traded companies.
New NFL owners are severely limited in how funding can be put together. There is a debt limit of USD 1.5 billion, and the controlling owner must hold a minimum of 30 percent of the equity. Institutional funds can own 10 percent, and the total group cannot exceed 24 minority owners.
Allen’s legacy
The Seahawks are being sold by Allen’s estate, which took over ownership after his death in 2018. Allen’s will stipulated that his sporting assets, which included the Seahawks and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, should be sold in favor of charitable causes. His sister Jody Allen, who is the executor of the will and trust, has run the teams in his absence. The Trail Blazers were recently sold for $4.1 billion to a group led by Tom Dundon.
To date, the most expensive NFL team ever bought in a control sale is the Washington Commanders for $6.05 billion, while the Los Angeles Lakers are the most expensive sports team bought in a control sale – for $10 billion. A minority stake in the parent company of the Miami Dolphins was recently sold to a Chinese billionaire at a valuation of $12.5 billion.
Mittal previously contributed approximately one billion dollars to the acquisition of the Boston Celtics in 2025 – his first major venture in American sports. His Seahawks bid group included former Celtics controlling owner Wyc Grousbeck, according to Sportico.
Latham & Watkins acted as legal counsel for Allen’s estate in the transaction.
