Seahawks: Why Khoslas likely won't join Seattle's list of reviled owners

ATLANTA — Before NFL commissioner Roger Goodell all-but-officially handed the Seahawks over to the Khosla family Wednesday afternoon, he gave one last thank you to Paul and Jody Allen.

“They have done an amazing job over the 30 years, and I know that the Khosla family respects that, appreciates that, and will do their best to beat that standard, Goodell said as he began a statement announcing that the NFL owners had voted unanimously to approve the sale of the Seahawks from the Allen Estate to the Khosla group.

That makes the transfer of ownership all but complete.

All that remains is the Allen Estate and the Khosla family finalizing some last details and signing all remaining papers to officially close the deal.

That means the biggest question now is this: Will the Khosla family and the others who will fill out a group that is paying $9.612 billion for the team live up to Goodell’s challenge to meet, if not beat, the standard set by the Allen family, whose purchase of the team in 1997 allowed the Seahawks to stay in Seattle?

Seattle sports fans have as much right as any in any city to be skeptical of new owners given what happened with the Sonics and what almost happened with the Seahawks under Ken Behring before Allen came to the rescue (and for those with really long memories, what happened with the Pilots).

So maybe that was why some fans honed in on one response made by Vinod Khosla during the family’s brief three-question news conference Wednesday (they will hold a longer one in Seattle once the sale becomes final).

That question focused on the future of Lumen Field and referenced that there has been some conjecture that a new owner could eventually want a new stadium.

“Well first, Lumen Field is iconic and very much a part of the Seahawks brand, so that’s all I would say for now," Vinod Khosla said. “Obviously we are not owners yet and we need to learn a lot more, but we will work with management and with others and the community in Seattle to hopefully preserve this iconic brand."

Some latched onto the word “hopefully" as a sign that all options could be considered.

To reiterate, the Seahawks have a lease at Lumen through the 2031 season with three additional 10-year options — nothing would, or really could, happen anytime soon.

But might the new ownership group explore options for either a renovation or a new stadium elsewhere in the Puget Sound area?

Given the way things work in pro sports and in the NFL — just look at what’s going on with the Chicago Bears and their potential move just over the border to Indiana — nothing can be ruled out.

But those same skeptics may have overlooked the rest of what Khosla said, which indicated a deep commitment to Seattle itself.

“The community in Seattle is incredibly invaluable, so we hope we will engage a lot more with the community also," he said.

As Khosla noted, his longtime dealings in the tech world means he has visited Seattle often.

He said those ties made it “pretty easy to make the jump" to wanting to buy the Seahawks despite having lived for roughly 50 years in the Bay Area and been a fan of the 49ers for much of that time.

He noted attending games at Lumen Field and said the Seahawks have “the best fan base" in the country.

Shortly after the news conference, he took to the social-media platform X to repost video of his opening statement and write “Super excited to join 12’s everywhere and the Seattle community and winning another Super Bowl!!!"

The point here is that any comment inferring that the new ownership group could examine stadium options at some point down the road is not the same as leaving Seattle.

There is zero thought the Seahawks would leave the Seattle area and nothing Khosla said comes close to indicating that’s an option.

Goodell, in fact, indicated that the Khosla group’s commitment to Seattle was among the reasons the NFL enthusiastically backed their agreement to buy the team.

“They understand the 12s, they understand the Seattle community and the NFL," Goodell said. “So that makes this transaction particularly attractive to all of us."

Goodell also said this: “They have demonstrated throughout this a tremendous passion for football but also communities and how important communities are to our success and their desire to make a difference in Seattle."

And this: “I know most importantly with tremendous confidence that they will be outstanding caretakers of the Seattle Seahawks and the organization and the great partnership they have with their community."

Got that? Good.

Any perceived hedging by Khosla in his Lumen Field comment may be because of the family not yet having full control of the team and wanting to wait to discuss specifics, and reflective of another comment he made that they still have a lot to learn about running an NFL team.

“We’ll just be in learning mode for quite some time," Vinod Khosla said.

Not that this necessarily matters to Seahawks fans, but Goodell indicated that the Khosla’s tech ties — Vinod Khosla is a co-founder of Sun Microsystems and Neal Khosla is CEO of Curai Health, a virtual primary care company — could make them influential owners quickly.

“I would say their experience in technology and innovation, as we address many of those issues, I think their expertise will be incredibly valuable to us in helping us make better decisions moving forward," Goodell said.

That comment further reflected what appeared to be widespread enthusiasm by everyone in the league for adding the Khosla group to their exclusive club. Vinod and Neal Khosla had already begun making acquaintances by buying a 3.1% stake in the 49ers a year ago.

“I also have to say you have great timing," Goodell said. “It’s not very often you can buy a Super Bowl championship team, which you’ve done that. Many of our owners struggle to find ways to get into the Super Bowl and win a trophy and you’ll be welcomed into your new building shortly with a fresh shiny trophy there for you.

That trophy — and the one it bookends in the glass case at the VMAC that Pete Carroll, Russell Wilson, Beast Mode, Doug Baldwin and the LOB brought home in 2014 — wouldn’t have been possible without the Allen family.

A few hours after Goodell made his announcement of the vote — roughly 6:30 p.m. Atlanta time — Jody Allen left the meeting room at the Atlanta Airport Marriott where the vote had occurred and through a nearby door and into a waiting car.

It was likely taking her to the airport and eventually a trip home to the city where the football team is just days away from no longer being officially in the family but always a part of their history.

A history that Seattle can only hope the Khoslas can repeat.