Are Mark Zuckerburg and Tim Cook bidding to buy Seahawks? Why multiple reports are refuting initial claim
Rumors have begun to pick up surrounding some big names when it comes to the reigning Super Bowl champions’ new impending ownership.
Not long after taking down the Patriots in Super Bowl 60, the Seattle Seahawks officially went up for sale, with the process of the franchise’s bidding now underway.
On Thursday, Front Office Sports originally reported that two well-known businessmen expressed interest in becoming buyers of the Seahawks: Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook. However, shortly after, Front Office Sports and other outlets also refuted the interest of both Zuckerberg and Cook, creating some back-and-forth reporting.
Here’s what to know about the conflicting reports surrounding the Meta founder and Apple CEO’s interest in buying the Seahawks.
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Are Mark Zuckerburg and Tim Cook bidding to buy Seahawks?
NFL ownership bidding can be a long process, meaning nothing is guaranteed. And on Thursday, Front Office Sports originally reported that four potential majority buyers have «expressed interest» in the Seahawks’ sale, including Zuckerberg and Cook, with the other two interested buyers not yet known.
The outlet wrote that Zuckerberg, the chairman and CEO of Meta and Facebook, is reportedly «considering a bid,» while Cook, who recently announced he will step down as Apple’s CEO and become EVP of the company’s board of directors, is reportedly «separately weighing an offer.»
However, that original report on Cook and Zuckerberg was later refuted by multiple outlets, including Front Office Sports.
Puck’s Dylan Byers first refuted the claims, writing on X that «Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook are not considering bids for the Seattle Seahawks.» Byers added that Zuckerberg «may be invested in a fund that’s putting forward a bid,» and he would «assume [the] same [is] true for Tim Cook.»
Later on, Front Office Sports’ Ben Horney reported that a source then said the rumors of Cook’s interest in the Seahawks were «completely false,» while a Meta spokesperson also told Bloomberg that Zuckerberg also wasn’t interested in Seattle’s NFL franchise.
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Regardless of the conflicting reports, it remains unknown whether any formal bids for the Seahawks have been made. However, the franchise was officially put up for sale on Feb. 18, just days after securing a Super Bowl title, the second in team history. Seattle selling its franchise was known to be in the plans at some point — late Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen «mandated the eventual sale of his sports holdings» before his 2018 death, per Front Office Sports, which included the Seahawks and the Trail Blazers of the NBA. In March, the Trail Blazers were officially sold to a group led by Tom Dundon for a price around $4.25 billion.
A formal Seahawks sale, when it happens, will have to be voted upon by NFL owners with three-fourths approval.
Seattle’s NFL squad is expected to be sold for anywhere in the $8 billion to $10 billion range, per FOS, also expected to surpass the Washington Commanders’ 2023 sale at $6.05 billion. Allen & Co. is the bank that will be running the Seahawks’ sale process.
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Mark Zuckerberg-Seahawks connection
With Zuckerberg being from White Plains, New York, it’s unclear if he has any personal ties to the Seahawks’ organization — but considering his net worth, if there’s any validity to the original reports of his Seahawks interest, it may just be for general NFL ownership.
Zuckerberg has an estimated net worth of $208.7 billion, per Forbes, which makes him the fifth-wealthiest person in the world. That would also hypothetically be more than enough for Zuckerberg to easily become the majority owner of the Seahawks without outside help.
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Tim Cook-Seahawks connection
Cook has a bit of a more apparent connection to the Seahawks — while he is from Alabama, he was in attendance for Super Bowl 60 in February as Seattle hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.
Tim Cook at the #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/s0TC9C9C6X
— Apple Hub (@theapplehub) February 9, 2026
Cook has an estimated net worth of $2.9 billion, per Forbes, which means that, if the original indications of his interest is true, he would likely be part of some kind of ownership group if he were involved with buying the Seahawks.
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