NFL owners unanimously approve the
sale of the Seahawks to Vinod Khosla and his family
[August 27, 2026]
By CHARLES ODUM
ATLANTA (AP) — NFL owners on Wednesday unanimously approved the
$9.612 billion sale of the Seattle Seahawks to Vinod Khosla and his
family, currently part owners of the San Francisco 49ers.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell congratulated the family for having
“great timing” in purchasing the team that is coming off its second
Super Bowl victory in franchise history.
“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.”
The sales agreement was announced on July 11 and awaited Wednesday's
approval at a special owners meeting in Atlanta to become official.
The sale was in accordance with the wishes of late team owner Paul
Allen.
Vinod 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.”
Vinod Khosla is the founder of Khosla Ventures, a Silicon Valley
venture capital firm. His current net worth is $13.7 billion,
according to Forbes.
The Khosla family will be required to relinquish its ownership stake
in the 49ers as part of the deal. Khosla joined the 49ers ownership
group as a minority owner in 2025, purchasing 3.1% of the team.
Goodell said the family's experience with the 49ers was 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.”
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Seattle Seahawks owner's The Khosla family, and NFL commissioner
Roger Goodell, Nina Khosla, left, Vinod Khosla, Neeru Khosla, and
Neal Khosla pose for a portrait during a news conference at an NFL
football owners meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP
Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Khosla also paid tribute to the Seattle fans 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.”
Khosla's wife, Neeru, said their son, Neal, played a role in the
family's interest in buying the team. They attended Wednesday's
meeting with Khosla's daughter, Nina.
“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.”
Vinod Khosla, who was born in India, said he was first a fan of the
Pittsburgh Steelers when he moved to the United States in 1976.
“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.”
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