Wyc Grousbeck, Vinod Khosla Emerge As Expected Bidders For Seahawks
As the Commanders and Broncos did before them, the Seahawks are expected to produce an American sports-record sale price. The NBA’s Boston Celtics broke the Commanders’ mark last year, going for $6.1 billion. Two parts of that Boston deal have emerged on the Seattle radar.
Wyc Grousbeck, who sold the Celtics last year, is preparing to enter the bidding for the Seahawks, Sportico’s Scott Soshnick reports. A Celtics investor, Aditya Mittal, is expected to join Grousbeck’s ownership group attempting to buy the NFC West franchise. Vinod Khosla, a 49ers investor, is on track to prepare a separate bid, according to Soshnick and Sportico’s Eben Novy-Williams.
The Celtics went for $6.1 billion last August. Grousbeck had been the team’s controlling owner from 2002-25. The 64-year-old billionaire, present for the Celtics’ most recent two championships, is looking to follow Josh Harris — who owns the Philadelphia 76ers — in making the NBA-to-NFL jump. Harris still owns the Sixers but bought the Commanders for a then-record-smashing price ($6.05 billion) in 2023.
Mittal was part of the group that bought the Celtics last year, contributing approximately $1 billion to that effort. Mittal is a London resident, according to Soshnick, who would only live in Seattle part-time if he and Grousbeck’s bid ends up winning. Mittal, 50, was part of a group that purchased an Indian cricket franchise this week for approximately $1.65 billion. Khosla, 71, was part of a group that purchased a 49ers stake — north of $8.5 billion — in 2025.
Sportico values the Seahawks at $6.59 billion, which ranks 14th among the site’s NFL valuations. The price to buy the franchise from Jody Allen, sister of the late Paul Allen, may check in a bit higher. A $7 billion price tag is viewed as the floor, though some pushback emerged on an earlier report that pegged the potential number at around $10 billion. Jody Allen officially put the Seahawks on the market after Super Bowl LX.
More bidders emerging would naturally drive up the price. These two groups are the first known entrants into the derby. A recent report indicating Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and former Apple CEO Tim Cook has been debunked. Los Angeles Clippers owner/Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was mentioned as a prospective Seahawks suitor. Ballmer, who owns property in the Seattle area, entering the fray would obviously add intrigue to this pursuit. But some key players have emerged since his name surfaced as a possibility here. More may soon follow in the NFL’s third sale this decade.