Seahawks sold for $9.6 billion: The most expensive NFL teams ever purchased
The Seattle Seahawks just became the NFL’s most expensive franchise sale. These are the biggest sports team purchases in history.
The Seattle Seahawks have officially entered a new era, and they did it by setting a record. A group led by Silicon Valley billionaire Vinod Khosla has agreed to purchase the franchise for a reported $9.612 billion, making it the most expensive NFL team sale in league history.
The deal, which still requires approval from NFL owners, represents another stunning milestone in the rapidly rising value of professional sports franchises. But where does the Seahawks purchase rank compared with the biggest team sales across the sports world?
Seahawks become NFL’s most expensive franchise sale ever
The Seahawks have been valued among the NFL’s most attractive franchises for years, thanks to their passionate fan base, iconic home-field advantage at Lumen Field and recent success on the field.
The franchise was previously controlled by the estate of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who purchased the team in the 1990s and helped prevent a potential relocation away from Seattle. After Allen’s death in 2018, his sister Jody Allen oversaw the team through his trust, with instructions that the franchise eventually be sold and proceeds directed toward charitable causes.
The Khosla-led group’s reported $9.612 billion purchase price surpasses the previous NFL record set by the Washington Commanders, who were sold to a group led by Josh Harris for $6.05 billion in 2023. The Denver Broncos previously held the record after being purchased by the Walton-Penner ownership group for $4.65 billion in 2022.
While the Seahawks’ deal is a record for the NFL, it is not the most expensive sports franchise purchase ever. That title belongs to the Los Angeles Lakers, after Mark Walter agreed to purchase majority ownership of the NBA franchise in a deal reportedly valuing the team at $10 billion in 2025. The Seahawks are now right behind the Lakers among the largest sports transactions ever completed.
Here are some of the largest sports franchise purchases in history (based on reported sale prices):
- Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) - $10 billion (2025)
- Seattle Seahawks (NFL) - $9.612 billion (2026)
- Boston Celtics (NBA) - $6.1 billion (2025)
- Washington Commanders (NFL) - $6.05 billion (2023)
- Chelsea FC (Premier League) - $5.4 billion (2022)
- Denver Broncos (NFL) - $4.65 billion (2022)
- Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury (NBA/WNBA) - $4 billion (2022)
- New York Mets (MLB) - $2.4 billion (2020)
- Carolina Panthers (NFL) - $2.275 billion (2018)
- Houston Rockets (NBA) - $2.2 billion (2017)
The rise in franchise values reflects a major change in professional sports. Teams that once represented expensive hobbies for wealthy owners have become some of the most valuable assets in the world, driven by massive television contracts, global audiences and limited supply.
NFL teams continue to reach new financial heights
The Seahawks sale is another example of how quickly NFL franchise values have increased. Just a few decades ago, team purchases that reached into the billions were considered extraordinary. Today, billion-dollar valuations have become the standard for NFL ownership.
The league’s combination of national television revenue, passionate fan bases and salary-cap structure has helped create unprecedented financial stability. The Dallas Cowboys remain the NFL’s most valuable franchise overall, with Forbes estimating the team’s value at more than $10 billion. Other franchises, including the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants, have also reached valuations that would have been unimaginable in previous eras.
The Seahawks also enter this new ownership era with stability in football operations, led by general manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald. Khosla, the founder of venture capital firm Khosla Ventures, brings a background from Silicon Valley rather than traditional sports ownership. His firm has invested in companies including OpenAI, DoorDash and Instacart. Now, he will attempt to build on the legacy created by Allen while becoming the latest billionaire to enter the NFL ownership circle.
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