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The Seattle Seahawks have officially been put up for sale – 10 days after winning American football’s biggest prize.<\/b><\/p>\n
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<\/a> to become NFL champions for a second time.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n He oversaw the Seahawks’ first Super Bowl win in 2014 but died in 2018, aged 65, from complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.<\/p>\n 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”.<\/p>\n According to Forbes, Allen paid $194m (\u00a3143.6m) for the Seahawks and the publication’s most recent valuation was $6.7bn (\u00a35bn) – making it the 14th most valuable franchise in the NFL.<\/p>\n The most recent NFL team sale saw the Washington Commanders purchased in 2023<\/a> by a group controlled by Josh Harris for a record $6.05bn (\u00a34.5bn).<\/p>\n 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<\/a> (\u00a37.5bn).<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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 (\u00a33.3bn).<\/p>\n The Allen estate has selected investment bank Allen & Company and law firm Latham & Watkins to lead the sale process of the Seahawks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n