Seahawks’ sale process down to two groups, report says
Could the competition to become the Seahawks’ new ownership group be down to two?
It could be, according to a report Thursday from Front Office Sports.
The website reported that the two remaining groups are the first two publicly identified as being interested in putting in a bid for the team – one group led by Boston Celtics minority owner Aditya Mittal and former Celtics majority owner and current alternate governor Wyc Grousbeck; and the other led by San Francisco 49ers minority owner Vinod Khosla.
FOS reported that other interested groups were told they are out of the running. A source said it is down to just those two groups, reporting that Todd Boehly – a co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers who was reported as potentially weighing a bid – “is no longer in the running.”
However, FOS also reported that another source said it’s possible that another bidder could emerge. It also reported that Microsoft co-founder Steve Ballmer – who some have figured from the start could be involved at some point – “has not been named as a suitor for the Seahawks.”
It is known that current Seahawks vice chair Bert Kolde is expected to be in Sun Valley, Idaho, this week attending the annual Allen & Company retreat. Allen & Company is the New York-based investment bank hired by the team to help handle the sale process. It’s been thought that Kolde is there in part to discuss the sale.
FOS reported that none of the parties involved had any comment.
Sportico.com reported in May the interest by the Mittal/Grousbeck group and Khosla. The Seattle Times also confirmed that both groups are thought to be interested in making a bid.
Bloomberg reported last week that an initial round of bids were due June 29.
Mittal, 50, is the CEO of ArcelorMittal, a steel company based in Luxembourg founded by his father Lakshmi, and the heir of one of the richest families in India.
According to Sportico, Mittal contributed about $1 billion to the group led by Bill Chisholm that purchased the Boston Celtics from the former ownership group led by Grousbeck and his father, Irving, and holds the official title of alternate governors with Grousbeck.
Grousbeck, 65, founded the group that purchased the Celtics in 2002 and is reportedly remaining part of the ownership group through 2028 to assure a smooth transition.
The Sportico report stated that “since Mittal lives in London, Grousbeck would reside in Seattle part-time and effectively operate the franchise.”
Vinod Khosla, 71, is a co-founder of Sun Microsystems who with his son, Neal, bought a 3.1% share of the San Francisco 49ers in May 2025.
Neal Khosla is the CEO and co-founder of Curai, described as an AI-assisted telehealth startup founded in 2017 based in Palo Alto, California. He was named as one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in AI in 2023.
The Seahawks were put up for sale by the Paul G. Allen Estate on Feb. 18 with the team and the NFL hoping that a sale could conclude by the beginning of the 2026 regular season.
The Seahawks open the regular season Sept. 9 against the New England Patriots at Lumen Field.
This story will be updated.