Paul G. Allen’s estate launches a multi-year franchise sale aimed at record NFL valuations and major philanthropic impact.
Summary
- The Seattle Seahawks are officially up for sale less than two weeks after winning Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara
- Paul G. Allen’s estate has begun a formal sale process, honoring his directive to sell his sports holdings and direct the proceeds to philanthropy
- Investment bank Allen & Company and law firm Latham & Watkins will run a multi‑year sale expected to fetch a record NFL franchise price while the team stays locked into Lumen Field and Seattle
Fresh off a second Lombardi and a parade that shut down downtown, the Seattle Seahawks are suddenly the hottest asset on the sports market. The Paul G. Allen Estate has kicked off a formal sale process for the reigning Super Bowl champions, an unprecedented move in the modern NFL and the climactic chapter in the late Microsoft co‑founder’s plan to liquidate his sports empire for charitable giving. Allen bought the franchise in 1997 for just under $200 million, keeping it from bolting to Southern California, and under Paul and Jody Allen the Seahawks evolved from league afterthought to perennial contender and two‑time Super Bowl winner.
The estate has tapped Allen & Company and Latham & Watkins to handle the deal, a process the team says will stretch through the 2026 offseason before any buyer is vetted and ratified by at least 24 of 32 NFL owners. Public valuations peg the Seahawks in the $6.6 billion USD to $7 billion USD range, with some post‑title projections pushing the number toward eight digits, positioning the sale to eclipse the Washington Commanders and even challenge the $10 billion USD Los Angeles Lakers benchmark. With a long‑term lease at Lumen Field, sold‑out crowds since 2003 and the NFL’s next media‑rights cycle on deck, whoever steps in next inherits a ready‑made contender, a locked‑in city and one of the league’s most powerful platforms for both business and philanthropy.
- Hypebeast
