Owners approve Seahawks sale to Khosla group

NFL owners on Wednesday voted unanimously to approve the $9.612 billion sale of the Seattle Seahawks from Paul Allen's estate to a group led by San Francisco 49ers limited partner Vinod Khosla.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made the announcement after owners cast their votes during one-day league meeting at the Atlanta Airport Marriott. The record-breaking sale, which was agreed to in July, needed approval from at least 24 of 32 owners to be ratified, an outcome that was widely expected.

At a news conference later Wednesday, Goodell thanked the Allen family for its stewardship of the Seahawks, congratulated the Khoslas and complimented the incoming owners on the "great timing" they displayed by buying the team on the heels of its Super Bowl victory.

"As Roger said, it's pretty simple when the team is one functioning as well as it is today," Vinod Khosla said. "How often do you get to buy a franchise that just won the Super Bowl? So we are incredibly lucky and humbled by this gift, I would say, from the Allen Trust."

Khosla will have to relinquish his stake in the 49ers as part of his agreement to buy the Seahawks. The team won't officially change hands until the transaction closes, which could happen before the Seahawks open the season Sept. 9 against the New England Patriots in a rematch of Seattle's Super Bowl LX victory Feb. 8.

"The task ahead is actually pretty simple -- keep the winning streak alive, get another Super Bowl," Khosla said. "That simple. In general, our approach is generally going to be long-termed focused. That's our inclination always. So, keep winning, take a long-term approach and learn a lot. We don't know enough.

"... The other owners have been incredibly welcoming and willing to teach us, and so we'll learn a lot. We'll learn a lot from management and see what they are recommending. So we'll just be in learning mode for quite some time."

Owners on the league's finance and ownership policy committees last week voted unanimously to recommend approval of the sale.

The $9.612 billion purchase price is the highest ever for an NFL team, topping the $6.05 billion the Washington Commanders fetched when they were sold in 2023. That was a record sum for a North American sports franchise at the time, though the Los Angeles Lakers have since been sold for $10 billion and are in the process of being sold again for $12.5 billion.

On Feb. 18, the Paul G. Allen estate -- which has owned the team since the Microsoft co-founder died in 2018 -- announced that it had started the formal sale process in accordance with his will. It was the first time in the Super Bowl era that a team had been put on the market shortly after playing in the championship game.

The Allen estate announced July 11 that it had entered into a formal sale agreement with the Khosla-led group. The Khosla family, which also includes Vinod Khosla's wife, Neeru, and their son, Neal, will be the Seahawks' new controlling owners. It's unclear who else is joining the group as limited partners.

Born in India, Vinod Khosla is the co-founder of Sun Microsystems and founder of the venture capital firm Khosla Ventures, which has made early-stage investments in companies that include OpenAI, DoorDash and Instacart.

Khosla, 71, has a net worth of $13.8 billion, according to Forbes. He joined the 49ers' ownership group in 2025, buying 3.1% of the team at a more than $8.5 billion valuation.

"They know our league well," Goodell said. "They understand the passion of the NFL, they understand the 12s, they understand the Seattle community ... So that makes this transaction particularly attractive to all of us. They also have demonstrated throughout this a tremendous passion in football but also communities and how important communities are in our success and their desire to make a difference in Seattle. But also, I would say their experience in technology, in innovation. As we address many of those issues, I think their expertise will be incredibly valuable to us in helping us make better decisions moving forward."

Khosla noted Wednesday that he originally was, and still is, a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, having immigrated to the United States during the middle of the team's dynasty in 1976. He said Neal Khosla has attended roughly half the 49ers' home games since he was 5 years old, with Neeru Khosla saying their son was the driving force in their decision to buy the Seahawks.

Neal Khosla is the co-founder and CEO of Curai Health, a virtual healthcare company. He previously interned with the 49ers and is expected to have a significant leadership role in the new ownership group.

"He's been a big fan of sports and in particular football, so he's wanted forever to get involved in actually strategizing," Neeru Khosla said. "So he's the one who actually really pushed us into doing this. He's worked really hard so I'm very proud of him."

Paul Allen saved the Seahawks from relocating to Southern California when he bought the team from Ken Behring in 1997. His sister, Jody Allen, took control of the Seahawks and the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers as chair of both teams upon her brother's death with a directive to eventually sell both, with all estate proceeds going to philanthropy. The Trail Blazers sale was finalized in March.

During the 29 seasons in which Paul or Jody Allen was running the team, the Seahawks appeared in four Super Bowls, won two of them and made the playoffs 17 times. Their 268 regular-season wins in that span is the fifth most in the NFL.

"They have done an amazing job over the 30 years," Goodell said of Paul and Jody Allen, "and I know that the Khosla family respects that, appreciates that and will do their best to do beat that standard."

Information from ESPN's Seth Wickersham and Adam Schefter was used in this report.