New NFL owner issues statement on league’s No.1 ranked stadium after $9.6bn sale approved

A new era has dawned for the Seattle Seahawks.

NFL owners on Wednesday voted unanimously to approve a record $9.612 billion sale of the defending Super Bowl champions.

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The transaction will see Paul Allen’s estate hand the team to a group led by Vinod Khosla, a limited partner in the San Francisco 49ers.

A record-breaking sale was agreed in July and needed approval from at least 24 of 32 owners to be ratified during a one-day league meeting at the Atlanta Airport Marriott.

Khosla will now relinquish his stake in the 49ers as part of his agreement to buy the Seahawks.

The team won’t officially change hands until the transaction closes, and that could happen before Seattle brings the curtain up on the 2026 season.

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They will host the New England Patriots at Lumen Field on September 9, in a rematch of Super Bowl LX.

And ahead of the homecoming, soon-to-be-official owner Khosla has been discussing all things Lumen.

Following reports earlier this year that suggested there may be an eventual need to replace the home field, Khosla was asked about his long-term plans for the stadium.

He called Lumen Field ‘iconic’ and suggested it’s ‘very much a part’ of the Seahawks’ brand.

“Obviously, we’re not owners yet and we need to learn a lot more,” Khosla added.

“But we will work with management and with others and with the community in Seattle to hopefully preserve this iconic brand.”

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Khosla was flanked by his co-owners, wife Neeru and son Neal, at the NFL owners’ meeting in Atlanta.

“How often do you get to buy a franchise that just won the Super Bowl?” he said.

“We are incredibly lucky and humbled by this gift, I would say, from the Allen trust.”

Lumen Field leads NFL stadium rankings ahead of 2026

Khosla not only inherits the defending Super Bowl champions, but in Lumen Field, the NFL’s best stadium.

In a piece for USA Today, veteran NFL reporter and editor Nate Davis ranked the league’s home fields from best to worst.

Taking the top spot, was Lumen Field.

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“One of the league’s most raucous and loud settings as the crowd noise reverberates off the cantilevered roof back down to the field, it also offers spectacular views of downtown Seattle and its gorgeous surroundings,” Davis wrote.

“And though the roof covers about 70% of the spectators, players still have to perform in the region’s rainy environs – and if the home team does so to an elite level, it might even set off the Richter Scale.

“The interior shrine to Washington state high school football − also very cool. Hosting 2026 World Cup matches only added to Lumen Field’s reputation, while also bringing it $20 million worth of upgrades.

“Unrelated, it’s also a helluva place to see a concert – especially if, say, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder shows up to front a song or two at a U2 show.”

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With the best stadium in the NFL, and the Lombardi Trophy to show off in 2026, Khosla has made quite the investment, and wants to bring more success to Seattle.

“We are huge fans of football, and these opportunities, especially Super Bowl-winning teams, seldom come along, so we were very excited to have the opportunity,” he said Wednesday.

“The task ahead is actually pretty simple: Keep the winning streak alive, get another Super Bowl. That simple.”