The Seattle Seahawks have officially been put up for sale – 10 days after winning American football’s biggest prize.
It was reported before Super Bowl 60 that discussions had taken place over selling the Seahawks, who went on to beat the New England Patriots to become NFL champions for a second time.
Late team owner Paul G. Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates, bought the franchise in 1997, saving it from potentially being moved to Southern California.
He oversaw the Seahawks’ first Super Bowl win in 2014 but died in 2018, aged 65, from complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
His estate announced on Wednesday that it has “commenced a formal sale process” for the franchise “consistent with Allen’s directive to eventually sell his sports holdings and direct all estate proceeds to philanthropy”.
According to Forbes, Allen paid $194m (£143.6m) for the Seahawks and the publication’s most recent valuation was $6.7bn (£5bn) – making it the 14th most valuable franchise in the NFL.
The most recent NFL team sale saw the Washington Commanders purchased in 2023 by a group controlled by Josh Harris for a record $6.05bn (£4.5bn).
That was surpassed as the world’s most expensive sports team purchase last year, when the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers were bought for $10bn (£7.5bn).
Allen also owned the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. since his death, his sister Jody Allen has been executor of his estate, plus chair of the Seahawks and Trail Blazers.
A sale of the Trail Blazers is already in progress with Tom Dundon, owner of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, having agreed a contract to buy the NBA team in a deal worth $4.25bn (£3.3bn).
The Allen estate has selected investment bank Allen & Company and law firm Latham & Watkins to lead the sale process of the Seahawks.
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