The Scoop
Billionaire financier Todd Boehly is weighing a bid for the Seattle Seahawks, a deal that would add an NFL team to a stable that includes stakes in the Los Angeles Lakers, Dodgers, and other professional sports teams.
Boehly has approached potential partners including Guggenheim Partners CEO Mark Walter, with whom he jointly owns the Lakers and Chelsea soccer club, and Middle East investors about teaming up on a bid for the Seahawks, people familiar with the matter said.
The Seahawks could fetch as much as $9 billion, which would shatter the record price for an NFL team, the people said. That would top the $6 billion sale of the Washington Commanders in 2023 and rival the $10 billion sale of the Lakers last year for the biggest sale of any sports team. The sale price could shift as negotiations are still ongoing, with ESPN reporting last month that the appetite from bidders had shifted. Formal bids are expected to be submitted in the next few weeks, the people said.
A spokesman for Boehly declined to comment. A representative for Walter declined to comment.
Know More
The Seahawks are owned by the estate of the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, which is selling assets to fund his philanthropic directives.
Indian steel titan Aditya Mittal and former Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck are preparing a bid, and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla has also been interested, Sportico reported and Semafor confirmed.
Valuations for sports teams have soared to eye-popping levels. The $4.7 billion sale of the Denver Broncos in 2022, which was then a record, was quickly eclipsed by Josh Harris’s purchase of the Commanders. In the NBA, the Celtics’ $6.1 billion sale last year was topped within a few months by the Lakers. Earlier this year, the co-founder of Chinese tech company Xiaomi bought a 1% stake in the Miami Dolphins in a deal that valued the team at $12.5 billion, more than a decade (and zero playoff wins) after Steve Ross bought it for $1 billion.