As reported by Variety’s sibling sports outlet Sportico, tech billionaire Vinod Khosla and his family have reached an agreement to buy the Seattle Seahawks for $9.6 billion, according to people familiar with the details.
The deal would be one of the highest valuations ever for a sports team in a control transaction, and would be close to Mark Walter’s $10 billion acquisition of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers. Mr. Khosla, who was born in India, is a prominent venture capitalist and is worth about $13.7 billion, according to Forbes magazine. He is purchasing the defending Super Bowl champion from the estate of late owner Paul Allen.
Khosla’s group beat out a handful of other bidders, including a group led by billionaire Aditya Mittal, a member of India’s richest family, said the people, who requested anonymity because the details are private. Sportico first reported interest in Khosla in May.
Khosla’s wife, Neil Khosla, will serve as the team’s controlling owner, according to a memo the NFL sent to clubs on Saturday. Neeru Khosla is the co-founder and chairman of the CK12 Foundation, an educational nonprofit organization. Their son, Curai CEO Neil Khosla, will also take a leadership role within the team, according to a memo seen by Sportico.
It was not immediately clear how the deal would be financed. Khosla did not respond to an email requesting comment. Allen’s estate announced in a statement Saturday that the team had been sold to the Khosla family, quoting Khosla himself. The statement did not provide details regarding the contract structure or financing, but said Koslas would become the team’s new controlling owner.
The Seahawks were worth $6.59 billion, according to Sportico numbers last year, but the team was always expected to be sold for significantly more than that. It’s relatively rare for NFL teams to sell, and this is only the third team to officially hit the market in the past decade. The league’s structure virtually guarantees that each team will make a nine-figure profit annually.
Khosla, a co-founder of Sun Microsystems, was one of a handful of local investors who bought the San Francisco 49ers last year at a valuation of more than $8.5 billion. Sportico reported at the time that Khosla had bought the largest stake, although details were not disclosed.
It’s becoming common for new owners in the NFL to become existing LPs of other franchises, a process that allows them to become familiar 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 acquired the Washington Commanders in 2023. Harris’ Commanders group included longtime business partner and Steelers LP David Blitzer. If a deal with the Seahawks goes through, Kosla would have to sell his stake in the 49ers.
Khosla came to the United States in his early 20s. He earned an MBA from Stanford University and co-founded Sun Microsystems in 1982, serving as the technology company’s first CEO. He began his venture capital career at Kleiner Perkins and launched Khosla Ventures in 2004. His company’s notable exits include Affirm, Opendoor, and DoorDash, all of which went public.
New NFL owners are severely limited in how they raise money. The debt limit is $1.5 billion and controlling owners must own a minimum of 30% of the equity. Institutional funds can own 10% and the group as a whole cannot have more than 24 minority shareholders.
The Seahawks will be sold by Allen’s estate, which assumed ownership after Allen’s death in 2018. Allen’s will called for sports assets, including the Seahawks and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, to be sold for charity. His sister, Jody Allen, the executor of his will and trust, has been running the team in his absence. The Trail Blazers were recently sold to Tom Dundon’s group for $4.1 billion.
To date, the most expensive NFL team ever acquired in a control sale is the Commanders ($6.05 billion), while the Los Angeles Lakers are the most expensive sports team acquired in a control sale ($10 billion). A minority stake in the Miami Dolphins’ parent company was recently sold to a Chinese billionaire at a valuation of $12.5 billion.
Mittal previously donated about $1 billion to buy the Boston Celtics in 2025, marking his first major move into U.S. sports. His Seahawks bidding group also included former Celtics controlling owner Wyk Grousbeck, Sportico previously reported.
Latham & Watkins acted as legal advisor to the Allen Estate in this transaction.
(Photo: Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp at the 2026 Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium on February 8 in Santa Clara, California)
