The Sale Of The Seattle Seahawks Gets A Big News Update

After initial reports of a softer than expected market, the latest information concerning the Seahawks being sold indicates recent acceleration.

Seattle Seahawks chairman Jody Allen, head coach Mike MacDonald, and general manager John Schneider on the podium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

On May 8th, Seth Wickersham wrote an article for ESPN discussing the initial market for the Seattle Seahawks. The team had been publicly up for sale for a few months at that point, having been announced as such shortly after winning the super bowl. At that point in time, Seth indicated that there had been surprisingly low amounts of interest from potential buyers.

The market was described as ‘soft’, and the NFL was said to have hoped for better. A few prospective purchasers were named, and it was still believed that the team would easily set an NFL record for price once sold, but there wasn’t a frenzy of interest. Less than three weeks later, however, it seems as if things have changed.

The Suddenly Robust Market

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald (left) and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell pose with the Vince Lombardi trophy. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

New reporting indicates that the market for the defending champs is now ‘robust’. While nothing is yet guaranteed, and no names were named, there is now reason to believe that the sale is imminent. In fact, there’s a possibility that the new owner could be in place before the 2026 season starts in early September, which would be quite the escalation.

Ian Rapoport believes that a special league meeting to approve a new owner could be coming in late August, around the time the NFL preseason wraps up. He also believes the price of the sale can eclipse the $10 billion mark, which leaves room for it to hit the $11 billion mark that was speculated on back in February. Either way, it’s a record.

To be clear, it’s a record by a massive amount. The current high-water mark for an NFL team was set by the Washington Commanders, who went for $6.05 billion in 2023. Even a sale of $10 billion would be a massive step up, and anything beyond that would start to flirt with doubling it. Clearly, a defending super bowl champion is worth something extra.

What Happens Next?

Seattle Seahawks chairman Jody Allen celebrates with the Vince Lombardi trophy on the podium after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The wording of the most recent news indicates that things are moving fast, and implies that there’s at least one firm candidate to actually close the deal. Perhaps there’s more than one, and there will be a bidding war at the end. Either way, there’s an air of inevitability around the recent updates. Maybe it won’t be done before the season starts, but it will be done.

Obviously, there’s a mixture of emotions that fans will have about this. We always knew Jody Allen’s tenure as ‘owner’ was temporary, but it’s impossible to argue that she’s been remarkably effective in her role these last several years, so the next owner has big shoes to fill. The Allens have made this fanbase one of high standards. The next owner must continue that.

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