​The Estate of Paul G. Allen announced on July 11 that it has agreed to sell the Seattle Seahawks to the Khosla family, with Vinod Khosla, a limited partner with the San Francisco 49ers, leading the ownership group. The deal is expected to set a new benchmark for NFL franchise sales. ESPN reporters Seth Wickersham and Adam Schefter, citing league sources familiar with the negotiations, reported that the transaction values the team at $9.612 billion, making it the most expensive sale of an NFL franchise to date.
“We are honored to be entrusted as the next stewards of the Seattle Seahawks,” said Vinod Khosla on behalf of the Khosla family. “We look forward to building on the winning legacy Paul Allen created and to earning the trust of the Seahawks organization and fans everywhere.”
With the Khosla family ready to begin their ownership, Wynston Wilcox of FanSided highlighted three priorities for the new Seahawks regime, one being securing a contract extension for Devon Witherspoon. “I know this doesn’t necessarily mean anything for them this season, but they do need to make Devon Witherspoon a priority,” Wilcox wrote in a July 12 article. “Keeping him beyond his rookie contract hasn’t felt like a top choice for the Seahawks, but the truth is, their defense took some hits this past offseason and Witherspoon could very well have a key role in whether the Seahawks’ defense is good enough to deliver a second-straight championship.”
Last season, Witherspoon played 720 snaps for Seattle. He posted an overall PFF defensive grade of 89.9, intercepted one pass, forced four passes defended, and recorded 54 solo tackles in run support and open-field situations. Although the Seahawks have not yet secured a contract extension, the new ownership cannot afford to overlook Witherspoon, especially if the 25-year-old has another standout season. “This season, he’ll be the big name in the secondary. If he returns to his rookie-season form, the Seahawks can’t let him walk. The Allens were hesitant to commit to a long-term deal beyond his fifth-year option. The Khosla family needs to recognize how important he is—not only to this team but also to the impression the Khosla family will make on their new fanbase.”
As for an appropriate financial figure, Dave Wyman of Seattle Sports believes the general manager, John Schneider, should be prepared to make Witherspoon the highest-paid cornerback in the league. “If you watch him play, I remember two years ago, he danced his way around a block,” Wyman said in a June 27 video on Seattle Sports’ YouTube channel. “The receiver could not block him because he is always a moving target. And he ends up making a tackle for a loss on some kind of speed option.”