The franchise owned by the estate of late Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen will reportedly enter the selling process after it competes in Super Bowl LX against the New England Patriots on Feb. 8.
As the Seattle Seahawks enter the bye weekend before traveling south to Santa Clara for Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8 against the New England Patriots, a bombshell report has dropped that says the future of the franchise is shaking up as soon as the season is over. Win or lose.
ESPN reports that the Seahawks will go on sale after the Super Bowl, with initial projections saying the team could sell for $7-8 billion, which would be an NFL record.
The previous record is held by the most recent sale in the NFL, a $6.05 billion purchase of the Washington Commanders in 2023 by a group led by Josh Harris.
The news comes after speculation throughout this decade about the state of the team following the death of former owner Paul G. Allen in 2018.
However, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport countered with a statement he accessed from a spokesperson at the Paul G. Allen Estate, which reads:
"We don't comment on rumors or speculation, and the team is not for sale. We've already said that will change at some point per Paul's wishes, but I have no news to share. Our focus right now is winning the Super Bowl and completing the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers in the coming months."
Reporters Seth Wickersham and Brady Henderson had said league officials have had heightened conversations about a sale for "at least the last week," per sources, though those have now been debunked, at least as they pertain to the immediate future.
Since Allen's death, his sister Jody Allen has controlled the team as the executor of the trust in his estate, which also includes ownership of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers.
There was reportedly a directive left to Jody Allen from the former Microsoft co-founder saying that the Seahawks and Trail Blazers will eventually be sold with the proceeds donated to charity.
The timing of the announcement is unprecedented.
In the Super Bowl era, it would be the first time that the entirety of a franchise will be put on the market after competing in the game. A similar instance occured when Preston Robert Tisch purchased a stake of the eventual champion New York Giants in 1991, but it was only for 50 percent of the team.
Sports valuation site Sportico has the Seahawks ranked as the 14th-most valuable NFL team at $6.59 billion, though team executives expect that it could garner a $7-8 billion selling price.
In a statement released by Jody Allen in 2022 addressing the franchise's ownership future, she stated that this reality would eventually come.
"... Given Paul's plans to dedicate the vast majority of his wealth to philanthropy ... estates of this size and complexity can take 10 to 20 years to wind down. There is no pre-ordained timeline by which the teams must be sold."
She continued: "Until then, my focus - and that of our teams - is on winning."
As this situation unfolds, that focus will remain on on-field success, where the Seahawks could hoist their second Vince Lombardi Trophy ever.