Matt Calkins: Seahawks' new owners hopefully know they need to stay out of the way

Matt Calkins, The Seattle Times on Jul 11, 2026

Published in Football

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SEATTLE — If I were a ride-or-die, face-paint-wearing Seattle Seahawks fan whose mood was entirely dependent on how they performed each week, here are the 10 words I would tell the new owners: Congratulations on the purchase, now stay out of the way.

This, after all, was essentially what Jody Allen and her late brother Paul did when they controlled the team. You never heard stories about the owner trying to influence an executive in the draft room or during free agency. Football matters were left to the people who knew football.

Will that remain the case?

Saturday, news broke that a group headed by the Khosla family is set to buy the Seahawks for a record $9.612 billion — $3.56 billion more than the previous high, when the Commanders were sold in 2023.

The front people on the purchase, Vinod Khosla, his wife, Neeru, and son, Neal, also had a minority stake in the San Francisco 49ers. A memo sent to all NFL teams said that Neeru will be the controlling owner while Neal “will be expected to have a significant leadership role in the ownership group.”

They sound like genuine fans.

Said Neal after buying part of the Niners last year: “My father and I have been season ticket holders for 30 years, going to games at The Stick starting when I was a child through the last 11 years at Levi’s Stadium. For us, becoming members of the 49ers family is a dream come true and we’re honored to be a part of the team’s future success and continued impact on the Bay Area community.”

This, of course, is a whole different team. More pertinently, the Khoslas are no longer minority owners.

Perhaps it’s encouraging that they appear to be genuinely invested in what happens between the lines. Most people who buy sports franchises are, but there seems to be legitimate fandom here.

Their history in sports suggests they don’t view the Seahawks as just a financial asset but as a competitive enterprise they genuinely care about. The thing is, though, this isn’t Major League Baseball — where owners’ willingness to shell out more dough than their competitors is necessary to stay ahead. There’s a hard salary cap in the NFL, as well as a salary floor, so the big spenders can’t really be distinguished from the penny pinchers.

What their ostensible passion might lend itself to, however, is meddling. Think about it — if you bought a $9.6 billion toy, would you really want to keep your hands to yourself?

Paul Allen bought the Seahawks for $194 million in 1997, mainly on the encouragement from local officials to keep the team from moving. Then, Jody took over after Allen’s death in 2018.

Over that span, the Seahawks went to four Super Bowls and won two of them — including the one last February. It wasn’t because the Allens were weighing in on scouting reports. Compare that to someone more heavy-handed such as Cowboys owner Jerry Jones — who yes, had his day, but hasn’t seen his team reach the Super Bowl in 30 years.

This isn’t meant to sound like an attack on a family that might lead the greatest ownership group in Seahawks history. There are no glaring red flags here. But the Seahawks have been one of sports’ most successful, consistent franchises over the past decade and a half, and are set up for more hardware.

As Seattle Times Seahawks writer Bob Condotta noted, all but five players who got offensive or defensive snaps for the Seahawks in the Super Bowl last season are back on the roster. General manager and reigning NFL Executive of the Year, John Schneider, is under contract through 2031, and head coach Mike Macdonald is locked in through 2029.

The sportsbooks give the Seahawks 11-to-1 odds to repeat as Super Bowl champs — fourth in the NFL (the Rams are first at 5.5-to-1.) And given how well the defense performed last year, and how that side of the ball continues to improve with Macdonald at the helm, it would be a surprise if they didn’t compete for another title.

I’m sure there is some relief in Seahawksville that this transfer of power is set to conclude. The sale could be finalized at a league meeting on August 26, where it would have to be approved by 24 of the 32 owners.

It’s going to happen. It’s what happens next that’s most intriguing.

When you think of great franchises, it’s usually great players, coaches and personnel executives that come to mind. But as they say — it all starts at the top.

And if the people at the top want their team to stay at the top, it’s best that they know their limits.

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