The Seattle Seahawks‘ incoming ownership group has made clear it wants to respect the foundation already in place, as Vinod Khosla is backing a fitting way to close out the Allen family’s run with the franchise.
A fan asked Khosla on X whether the Khosla family planned to raise the 12 Flag before Seattle’s season opener or whether outgoing chair Jody Allen could handle the ceremony “one last time as a goodbye.”
“I’d love to have Jody do it,” Khosla replied on X.
The idea would give Allen a prominent farewell at Lumen Field days after the Seahawks said the franchise’s sale to the Khosla family is expected to be finalized later this week.
Allen Could Bookend Seahawks’ Championship Run
Allen has recent history with one of Seattle’s signature pregame traditions.
The Seahawks selected her to raise the 12 Flag before January’s NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams. Seattle won that game and then defeated New England 29-13 in Super Bowl LX, giving the franchise its second Lombardi Trophy.
Allen took over leadership of the organization after her brother, Paul Allen, died in 2018.
Her tenure included several franchise-altering decisions, including signing off on the Russell Wilson trade and moving on from longtime head coach Pete Carroll. General manager John Schneider then hired Mike Macdonald, who led Seattle to the Super Bowl title in his second season.
The Seahawks credited Allen for providing Macdonald and Schneider with the support to make difficult decisions during the championship build. Macdonald said after the Super Bowl that Allen “always backed John and I on some of the tough decisions we had to make.”
That history would give a Week 1 flag raising a bit more than a routine ceremonial choice. The 12 Flag has been raised before every Seahawks home game since the tradition began in 2003, when 12 original season-ticket holders handled the first ceremony.
Allen doing it again would connect the final days of her family’s ownership directly to the opening night of the next era.
Khosla Continues to Signal Continuity in Seattle
Khosla’s response also hits the tone he has struck since his family reached an agreement to buy the Seahawks.
NFL owners unanimously approved the $9.612 billion sale on Aug. 26, clearing the biggest remaining hurdle before closing.
After the vote, Khosla described the family as “incredibly lucky and humbled” to inherit a team coming off a championship and said the objective was to keep winning and take a long-term approach.
The Seahawks themselves offered a public thank-you to the Allen family on Sept. 2, crediting Paul and Jody Allen for nearly three decades of stewardship.
Paul Allen purchased the franchise in 1997 and helped keep it in Seattle. Jody Allen later oversaw the transition from Carroll to Macdonald and was on the field holding the Lombardi Trophy after February’s championship.
The Khosla family will arrive with a tough act to follow, but Vinod Khosla has repeatedly pointed toward continuity over upheaval.
Letting Allen raise the 12 Flag before the first regular-season game would fit that approach. It would also give Seahawks fans a chance to recognize the outgoing chair at the same stadium where the Allen family helped cultivate one of the franchise’s defining traditions.
Khosla’s social-media reply stops short of an official announcement, and Seattle has yet to name the Week 1 flag raiser.
His preference, however, is clear.
Seahawks’ New Owner Backs Special Jody Allen Goodbye for Week 1