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It was when they qualified for Super Bowl LX that the news broke about the sale of the Seattle Seahawks. According to ESPN, the franchise will be on the market once the championship game against the New England Patriots is over. A spokesman for the Allen family quickly came forward to deny this information, but the truth is that the future of the Washington State team is to be 'auctioned off'. On paper, it doesn't make sense for someone to get rid of a team that in the last 16 years has been to three Super Bowls, won one of them and qualified 10 times for the playoffs, but there is more to it than that.
The fact is that the NFL's Seattle Seahawks and the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers are currently the property of the family of Paul Allen (founder of Microsoft together with Bill Gates) since the former owner of both franchises died of cancer in 2018. Specifically, they belong to a trust whose executor is Jody Allen, Paul's sister. Currently, the Trail Blazers are in the process of being sold and in August 2025 an agreement was reached to transfer the team to Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon.
The Allen family spokesman denied that the franchise was for sale, but did clarify: "We already said that this will change at some point, according to Paul's wishes, but I have no news to share. Right now we are focused on winning the Super Bowl and finalizing the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers in the coming months." This reminds us that on the one hand we have Paul Allen's desire, which was to sell the Seahawks and Blazers and for the proceeds to be donated to charity.
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The majority shareholder must be an individual
On the other hand, there are the clear rules of the league. The NFL is reportedly pressuring Allen's heirs to sell the Seahawks as soon as possible, according to the Wall Street Journal. Why? Because NFL rules require that an individual be the majority owner of a team, not an entity such as a trust. In fact, the Seahawks could face a hefty financial penalty if they do not comply with ownership requirements.
It is not unusual for the NFL to meddle in these matters. It happened with the Washington Commanders, who were sold to Josh Harris in 2023 for $6.05 billion, following a series of allegations of financial misconduct and sexual harassment against Daniel Snyder. Five years earlier, Jerry Richardson was forced to sell the Carolina Panthers to David Tepper amid allegations of racist behavior and workplace misconduct.
Current value of the Seahawks
If the Seahawks do go up for sale after the championship game, the price could be as high as seven or eight billion dollars, according to ESPN, which received this valuation from a franchise executive. This would set a new record in the NFL.