Billionaire Vinod Khosla’s $9.612 billion Seahawks purchase approved by NFL owners

NFL owners on Wednesday unanimously approved the $9.612 billion sale of the Seattle Seahawks to billionaire investor Vinod Khosla and his family, formally making them the franchise’s new owners.

Khosla, founder of Silicon Valley venture capital firm Khosla Ventures, currently owns a minority stake in the San Francisco 49ers. As part of the Seahawks deal, the Khosla family will be required to relinquish that ownership stake. Khosla had purchased a 3.1% share of the 49ers in 2025.

The approval came at a special owners meeting in Atlanta. The sales agreement had been announced on July 11 and was completed in accordance with the wishes of late Seahawks owner Paul Allen.


The timing of the purchase drew praise from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, with the Seahawks coming off their second Super Bowl victory in franchise history.

Goodell congratulated the Khosla family for having “great timing” in acquiring the team.

“It’s not very often you can buy a Super Bowl championship team, but you’ve done that,” Goodell said. “Many of our members struggle to find ways to get in the Super Bowl and win a trophy and you’ll be walking into your new building shortly with a fresh, shiny trophy there for you.”

Khosla thanked Allen’s sister, Jody Allen, and the Allen Trust “for trusting us for this franchise.”

“As Roger said, it’s pretty simple when the team is functioning as well as it is today,” 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.”

Forbes estimates Khosla’s current net worth at $13.7 billion.

Khosla’s 49ers experience helped win over NFL owners

Goodell said the family’s experience with the 49ers was an important factor in making the transaction attractive to other NFL owners.

“They know our league well,” Goodell said. “As you know, they have been ownership in the NFC West with the San Francisco 49ers. They understand the passion of the NFL, they understand the 12s, they understand this Seattle community and the NFL. And so that makes this transaction particularly attractive to all of us.”

Khosla also paid tribute to Seattle fans, who are known as the “12s”.

“Having been to Lumen Field and watching the 12s everywhere, I do want to thank them for their passion and fervor,” Khosla said. “And the community in Seattle is incredibly valuable. So we hope we’ll engage a lot more with the community also.”

Family ties and a lifelong passion for football

Khosla’s wife, Neeru, said their son, Neal, played a role in the family’s decision to pursue the team. Neeru and the couple’s daughter, Nina, attended Wednesday’s meeting with Khosla.

“He’s been a big fan of sports, and in particular, football,” Neeru said of Neal. “... So he’s the one who actually really pushed us into doing this. He worked really hard, so I’m really proud of him.”

Khosla, who was born in India, said he first became a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers after moving to the United States in 1976. He said he continues to watch the Steelers’ games despite now owning an NFC West franchise.

“We’ve been very passionate about football for a long time,” he said. “I would say we’ve been going to home games at the 49ers since (Neal) was 5, maybe half of all home games since he was 5. And so football is definitely a passion. ... I was originally and still am a big Steelers fan. ... Little known fact, but I still watch all the Steelers games, too.”