The Seattle Seahawks are getting new owners, and it's costing them a record sum to take over a team that just won it all. NFL owners voted unanimously on Wednesday at league meetings in Atlanta to approve the sale of the franchise from the Paul G. Allen Estate to a group led by Vinod Khosla, his wife Neeru, and their son Neal, at a league-record price of $9.612 billion.

The figure obliterates the previous high-water mark for a North American sports franchise sale, and it comes just months after Seattle won its second Super Bowl. The Khosla family signed a formal purchase agreement with the Allen estate, led by trustee Jody Allen, back on July 11. Wednesday's vote was the final ownership approval needed from the league, though the transaction still requires closing procedures before it's official. The league and team said they're aiming to have the sale fully finalized before Seattle opens its season on Sept. 9 against the Patriots.

Who's buying in

Vinod Khosla, 71, is a Sun Microsystems co-founder turned venture capital billionaire; Neeru Khosla will serve as the team's controlling owner going forward. The family was in Atlanta for Wednesday's vote. Commissioner Roger Goodell made the announcement to reporters, saying, according to ESPN's coverage of the meeting: "I'm thrilled to announce that the clubs have unanimously approved the transfer of the Seattle Seahawks from the Paul Allen estate to the Khosla family ownership group."

"How often do you get to buy a franchise that just won the Super Bowl? We are incredibly lucky and humbled by this gift, I would say, from the Allen trust." — Vinod Khosla

Khosla struck a grateful tone at the owners' meeting, framing the timing of the purchase as a stroke of fortune rather than a calculated business coup. The Allen estate has controlled the Seahawks since founder Paul Allen's death in 2018, with Jody Allen running the franchise as trustee in the years since.

The sale caps a stretch of blockbuster ownership turnover across the NFL, following the Commanders' and Broncos' recent record-setting changes of hands, and underscores just how much franchise valuations have exploded even for teams outside the league's largest media markets. Seattle's Super Bowl pedigree, loyal fan base at Lumen Field, and a young core coming off a title run all factored into the eye-popping price tag, according to reporting on the deal.

What's next: the transaction now moves toward final closing paperwork, with the league and new ownership group targeting completion before kickoff on Sept. 9. Fans in Seattle will be watching for the Khoslas' first public moves as owners, including any early word on front-office continuity and long-term plans for the team's championship core.