Khosla family's record $9.6B purchase Seahawks deal caps a private-capital rush into the NFL

Both private equity firms and deep-pocketed individuals continue to snap up stakes in professional sports teams—with the most recent being Vinod Khosla’s family purchasing the Seattle Seahawks for a record $9.6 billion.

The league allowed private equity to acquire minority stakes in 2024, and there are now six PE-backed NFL franchises, according to PitchBook’s Private Equity Sports Investment dashboard. NFL rules block investment firms from becoming majority team owners, confining them to passive minority stakes. But the value of those minority investments, coupled with individuals buying teams outright, has skyrocketed as the NFL and other US pro sports leagues have made it easier for teams to take in outside capital.

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Another five teams have ties to private capital through their owners, who have made their fortunes in venture capital and private equity. The previous valuation record for an NFL team was set in 2023, when a group led by Apollo Global Management co-founder Josh Harris bought the Washington Commanders for $6.05 billion.

In the first instances, Arctos Partners in December 2024 bought a 10% stake in the Buffalo Bills, and Ares Management became a 10% owner of the Miami Dolphins that same month.

Overall, 75 US pro sports teams valued at a cumulative $283.1 billion have taken private market money. There were seven such deals last year, according to PitchBook data, up from two in 2024 and eclipsing 2023’s tally of four.

This article originally appeared on PitchBook News