The Philadelphia Eagles are not on the market, but the NFL may have just reset the price of admission for elite franchises.
The estate of Paul Allen has agreed to sell the Seattle Seahawks to the Khosla family and limited partners for $9.612 billion, pending league review and approval. If that deal goes through, it would blow past the NFL record Josh Harris’ group set when it bought the Washington Commanders for $6.05 billion in 2023. More than that, it sends a loud message about what top-tier NFL teams can actually command when they hit the open market.
That’s where Philadelphia comes in. The Eagles were already sitting near the top of the league’s valuation ladder.
Sportico pegged them at $8.43 billion, sixth in the NFL, after Jeffrey Lurie previously sold small minority stakes at a valuation a little above $8.3 billion. The Philadelphia Inquirer also pointed to those minority-stake transactions as part of the basis for the Eagles’ number.
But Seattle’s price changes the frame. Sportico had the Seahawks at $6.59 billion, yet the agreed sale comes in almost 46% higher than that estimate.
If even part of that kind of premium is applied to Philadelphia, the Eagles jump well beyond $9 billion. Push the full open-market premium into the equation, and a full-control sale of the Eagles could plausibly land north of $12 billion.
None of that means Lurie is looking to move the team. He reportedly kept control of 85% of the franchise after those minority sales, and there’s been no sign he plans to sell more.
He bought the Eagles in 1994 for a reported $185 million, then the highest price ever paid for a sports franchise. Thirty years later, that purchase has turned into one of the most valuable assets in pro sports.
Philadelphia has plenty working in its favor. The Eagles have a huge fan base, a premier NFL brand, recent championship success, a stable ownership setup, and one of the league’s most aggressive roster-building operations. If Seattle can get close to $10 billion because of scarcity, stability, and league economics, the Eagles clearly belong in the same conversation.
The conservative read is that Philadelphia is already worth more than $9 billion. The bigger takeaway is that if Lurie ever decided to sell full control, the Eagles could easily clear $10 billion.
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Phillies Just Took A Bullpen Hit At The Worst Time
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The bullpen, though, took the kind of hit teams hate to absorb this time of year. Brad Keller landed on the 15-day injured list because of a right elbow issue, and the Phillies had to turn to Seth Johnson, recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, to fill the vacancy. For a club trying to bank wins while managing its arms carefully, losing a reliable relief option right as the second half begins makes the margin a little thinner. [Read more 🡒]