Richest NFL Team Owners List: Who’s Most Connected to Stock Market?

The list of National Football League franchise owners is full of billionaires, with the lowest net worth of any controlling owner currently listed as $1.2 billion. The latest sale of the Seattle Seahawks marks another big-name billionaire added to the list, but they only rank in the middle of the pack.

Here’s a look at the richest NFL team owners.

NFL Team Owners

Silicon Valley venture capitalist Vinod Khosla became the newest controlling NFL team owner with his family purchasing the Seattle Seahawks for $9.6 billion this year.

This marks the latest major NFL team purchase, with team valuations soaring in recent years.

Many NFL teams still have the same recognizable owners from past decades, with families passing ownership down to their heirs. Other teams change hands periodically, giving the richest of the rich a chance to join the NFL’s ownership ranks.

The one exception on the list, compiled by Athlon Sports, is the Green Bay Packers — the NFL’s only "publicly" owned team. Shareholders own the team, but unlike stock, owners can’t sell their shares or collect dividends. Instead, team ownership is more ceremonial than anything.

The Richest NFL Team Owners

1. Rob Walton, Denver Broncos: $130.6 billion
2. David Tepper, Carolina Panthers: $28.5 billion
3. Stan Korenke, Los Angeles Rams: $27.6 billion
4. Hunt Family, Kansas City Chiefs: $25.6 billion
5. Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys: $23.5 billion
6. Stephen Ross, Miami Dolphins: $21.5 billion
7. Woody & Christopher Johnson, New York Jets: $20.5 billion
8. Shahid Khan, Jacksonville Jaguars: $16.5 billion
9. Jimmy and Dee Haslam, Cleveland Browns: $16.4 billion
10. Robert Kraft, New England Patriots: $13.8 billion
11. Arthur Blank, Atlanta Falcons: $13.1 billion
12. Denise DeBartolo York and Jed York, San Francisco 49ers: $12.8 billion
13. Josh Harris, Washington Commanders: $12.4 billion
14. Glazer Family, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $12.1 billion
15. Kim and Terry Pegula, Buffalo Bills: $11.8 billion
16. Vinod and Neeru Khosla, Seattle Seahawks: $11.4 billion
17. Gayle Benson, New Orleans Saints: $11.2 billion
18. Steve Bisciotti, Baltimore Ravens: $10.7 billion
19. Jeffrey Lurie, Philadelphia Eagles: $7.6 billion
20. McNair Family, Houston Texans: $7.3 billion
21. Mike Brown & Family, Cincinnati Bengals: $5.0 billion
22. Irsay Family, Indianapolis Colts: $4.8 billion
23. Mark Davis, Las Vegas Raiders: $3.3 billion
24. Amy Adams Strunk, Tennessee Titans: $2.8 billion
25. John Mara and Steve Tisch, New York Giants: $2.6 billion
26. Spanos Family, Los Angeles Chargers: $2.4 billion
27. Sheila Ford Hamp, Detroit Lions: $2.0 billion
28. Halas/McCaskey Family, Chicago Bears: $1.4 billion
29. Michael Bidwill, Arizona Cardinals: $1.4 billion
30. Zygi Wilf, Minnesota Vikings: $1.3 billion
31. Art Rooney II, Pittsburgh Steelers: $1.2 billion
32. "Public", 538,000+ shareholders, Green Bay Packers

Biggest Stock Market Connections

Walton, a Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) scion, tops the list as controlling owner of the Denver Broncos. He is the son of the late Walmart founder Sam Walton, owns an estimated 11% of the company, and is one of several Walmart heirs — the second-richest Walton behind his brother Jim Walton.

Tepper, a hedge fund manager, ranks second. His wealth stems mainly from the junk-bond-focused Appaloosa Management.

The Johnson brothers — heirs to the Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) company — were able to buy the Jets in 2000 for $635 million.

Warren Buffett doesn’t own an NFL team, but he helped one of the owners buy a team. Haslam’s father, Jim Haslam, is the founder of Pilot Travel Centers, a company that was later sold to Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.

Blank is the co-founder and former chairman of home improvement retailer Home Depot (NYSE:HD). The billionaire owns an estimated 1.5% stake in the company today.

Harris, one of the newer NFL team owners, purchased the Commanders in 2023. He is a co-founder of private equity giant Apollo Global Management (NYSE:APO), where he worked from 1990 until stepping down in 2022.

The Glazer family remains the owner of the Buccaneers, a team their father acquired in 1995 for $192 million. Along with owning the Buccaneers, the Glazer family is also connected to the publicly traded soccer team Manchester United (NYSE:MANU), where they are the controlling shareholders.

Ford Hamp owns the Detroit Lions and is connected to two legendary automotive companies. Her father was William Clay Ford Sr., a grandson of Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) founder Henry Ford. Her mother is Martha Firestone Ford, an heir to the Firestone tire company.

Photo: Shutterstock