Record-breaking franchise sale approaches as deadline passes for $9billion offers

NFL teams do not come cheap, and the initial deadline for interested billionaires to get their hands on one has now passed.

It is rare for one of the 32 precious franchises to be up for grabs, and rarer still for it to be the defending world champions.

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But that is what an expected record-breaking $9billion will get you, in the shape of the Seattle Seahawks – winners of Super Bowl LXI in February.

The reported fee will break the record for an NFL sale which currently comes in at $6.05billion when the Josh Harris Group bought the Washington Commanders three years ago.

That was one year on from the Denver Broncos $4.65billion sale to the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group.

The Commanders sale had led the way as the most expensive franchise sale in sports, until the Boston Celtics were sold for $6.1billion in March 2025, only for that to be usurped by the $10billion sale of the Los Angeles Lakers to Mark Walter.

Given their current status, as Super Bowl champions, the success of their stadium in hosting World Cup matches through the summer and everything that comes with an NFL franchise these days, there is every chance of a bidding war for the Seahawks.

A more global profile than ever before for the NFL and its expanding media rights portfolio – now stretching to streaming giants Amazon and Netflix – means the sale could go past the Lakers mark.

Public declarations of interest have been minimal, but former Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, armed with plenty of cash following the sale of the Cs has submitted a letter of interest alongside Indian billionaire Aditya Mittal.

Speculation has centred on Chelsea owner Todd Boehly, who also owns a stake in the Lakers and the Los Angeles Dodgers and is keen to add an NFL team to his portfolio.

Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos, who made his fortune in real estate and private equity, and tech billionaire Vinod Khosla have also been mentioned, but Amazon founder Jeff Bezos ruled himself out.

Most intriguingly, Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune and 93.3 KJR-FM dropped a tease on an unnamed party being involved in the process.

“There is a Seattle-based whale out there who has not emerged, who is waiting to not outbid himself to buy the Seahawks,” he said earlier in June.

Fans have been trying to work out who it could be, with Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer – the former CEO of Microsoft, the tech behemoth founded by Paul Allen and Bill Gates – a potential bidder.

When Allen died in 2018, the Seahawks passed into the hands of the Paul G. Allen Estate, chaired by his sister Jody, and in February this year, the formal sale process got underway.

Allen’s wishes were that the franchise be sold, and all proceeds from the sale be distributed among his charities and foundations.

With plenty of moving parts, the process is expected to gather pace in the weeks ahead. Bloomberg have reported that last Monday was the deadline for offers in the first round of bidding.

Pro Football Talk have reported that the sale is expected to go through before the season starts – which gives just a 10 week window from Monday’s June 29 deadline.

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When do the Seahawks start their season?

On the field, the Seahawks have already celebrated one part of their Super Bowl success, with an extravagant ring ceremony that saw all players and staff awarded their personalised championship ring.

Next up will be their banner raising ceremony when they will hoist the second franchise world championship banner.

Seattle report for training camp in Renton, Washington on July 17 for rookies and seven days later for veterans.

The team kicks off its season with a repeat of their Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots, who are the visitors in Week 1 on Thursday Night Football.

Although in a break from tradition it will not be the usual season opener, that honor will go to the Seahawks’ NFC West rivals, as San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams face off in the NFL’s first ever game in Australia.

That’s one of nine NFL games being played overseas this season, a factor that is sure to have been factored into the expectation of the Seahawks’ sale.

Lumen Field has also been a storming success during the World Cup, with Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT set to play their second game in the stadium on Monday night as they chase a place in the quarterfinal for the first time since 2002.

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