Richest NFL owners: Where Robert Kraft, Jerry Jones, Rob Walton, more rank originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
While the drama on the gridiron captures the world’s attention, a far quieter and more consequential competition unfolds within the upper echelons of the league’s front offices and boardroom suites. As the NFL’s global footprint continues to expand in 2026, the true scoreboard is often found in the staggering personal portfolios of the individuals who hold the keys to franchises.
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NFL franchise owners vary in persona, from those who seem to always be in front of the camera — like Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft — to lower-profile figures who operate behind the scenes. But all play an instrumental role in leading an NFL organization.
It’s led to the question: Which NFL owners are actually the richest?
Here are the richest active NFL owners, ranked.
MORE:Â Values of every NFL franchise
Who is the richest owner in the NFL?
Rob Walton of the Denver Broncos (and the Walton-Penner Group) is the richest owner in the NFL by a staggering margin.
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The heir to the Walmart fortune led the purchase of the Broncos in 2022 for a then-record $4.65 billion. Today, his personal net worth is estimated at approximately $138 billion, more than five times that of the next-wealthiest owner.
To put his wealth in perspective, Walton is currently the only NFL owner whose net worth exceeds $100 billion; his fortune is greater than the combined net worth of the next nine wealthiest owners.
MORE:Â The last time the Broncos won the Super Bowl
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Richest owners in the NFL
These are the richest owners in the NFL, with bios on the top 10, per the Forbes Billionare list.
1. Rob Walton (Denver Broncos)
The eldest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton, Rob led the most expensive team purchase in history ($4.65 billion) in 2022. His fortune makes him the wealthiest owner in all of professional sports.
MORE:Â Explaining the Broncos ‘5280’ meaning
2. Hunt Family (Kansas City Chiefs)
Descendants of oil tycoon H.L. Hunt, the family has owned the Chiefs since their inception. Their wealth is spread across oil, real estate, and several sports franchises.
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MORE:Â Where the Chiefs dynasty ranks in NFL history
3. David Tepper (Carolina Panthers)
A former hedge fund manager and founder of Appaloosa Management, Tepper is known as one of the greatest “distressed debt” investors in history.
MORE:Â NFL teams to never win the Super Bowl
4. Stan Kroenke (Los Angeles Rams)
Stan Kroenke is a real estate mogul who owns Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. He is married to Ann Walton (Rob’s cousin) and owns several other teams, including Arsenal FC, the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche.
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MORE:Â How Sean McVay went from NFL’s youngest coach to Super Bowl champion
5. Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys)
Maybe the most popular owner in the NFL, Jones built his fortune in oil and gas before buying the Cowboys in 1989 for $140 million. He has since turned the team into the world’s most valuable sports franchise, known as “America’s team.”
MORE:Â Revisiting the Cowboys dynasty
6. Jody Allen (Seattle Seahawks)
Jody is the sister of the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. She now manages the Paul G. Allen Trust and has served as chair of the Seahawks since 2018.
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MORE:Â Sam Darnold’s career timeline
7. Stephen Ross (Miami Dolphins)
A real estate developer and founder of Related Companies, Ross is responsible for massive projects like Hudson Yards in New York City. His company manages over $60 billion in assets.
MORE:Â Ranking the best Miami Dolphins of all time
8. Woody & Christopher Johnson (New York Jets)
Heirs to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune, the brothers have owned the Jets since 2000. Woody is the main owner, with Christopher taking his place when he served in the Trump administration from 2016-2020.
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MORE:Â How did Woody Johnson make his money?
9. Shahid Khan (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Khan’s story is widely considered the “Face of the American Dream,” as he transformed a $500 arrival in the U.S. into a $13.4 billion empire. While working at Flex-N-Gate as a student, he realized that truck bumpers were over-engineered and heavy. He left to start his own company, Bumper Works, where he designed the world’s first one-piece, lightweight, rustproof steel bumper.
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Today, he is a global sports and industrial titan, owning the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Premier League’s Fulham FC, and the pro-wrestling promotion AEW.
MORE:Â Why do the Jaguars play games in London every year?
10. Robert Kraft (New England Patriots)
Kraft built his empire through paper and packaging (Rand-Whitney) and private equity before buying the Patriots in 1994. A season-ticket holder for 23 years, Kraft paid a then-record $172 million for the team—a price many experts at the time called “insane.”
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Today, the team is valued at $9.1 billion, with Kraft recently agreeing to sell a small 8% minority stake to Sixth Street Capital and billionaire Dean Metropoulos.
MORE:Â Revisiting the last Patriots Super Bowl
Rank
Name
Team
Net Worth
1
Walton-Penner Group
Denver Broncos
$121.3 billion
2
Hunt Family
Kansas City Chiefs
$24.8 billion
3
David Tepper
Carolina Panthers
$23.6Â billion
4
Stan Kroenke
Los Angeles Rams
$21.3 billion
5
Jerry Jones
Dallas Cowboys
$21.3 billion
6
Jody Allen (Paul G. Allen Trust)
Seattle Seahawks
$20.3 billion
7
Stephen Ross
Miami Dolphins
$17 billion
8
Woody and Christopher Johnson
New York Jets
$16 billion
9
Shahid Khan
Jacksonville Jaguars
$14.9Â billion
10
Robert Kraft
New England Patriots
$13.8 billion
11
Josh Harris
Washington Commanders
$10.9 billion
12
Glazer Family
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
$10 billion
13
Terry and Kim Pegula
Buffalo Bills
$9.3 billion
14
Arthur Blank
Atlanta Falcons
$9 billion
15
Jimmy and Dee Haslam
Cleveland Browns
$8.7 billion
16
Steve Bisciotti
Baltimore Ravens
$8.5 billion
17
Jed York and Denise DeBartolo York
San Francisco 49ers
$6.7 billion
18
Gayle Benson
New Orleans Saints
$6.6 billion
19
Janice McNair
Houston Texans
$6.2 billion
20
Jeffrey Lurie
Philadelphia Eagles
$5.2 billion
21
Irsay Family
Indianapolis Colts
$4.8 billion
22
Mark Davis
Las Vegas Raiders
$2.5 billion
23
Dean Spanos
Los Angeles Chargers
$2.4 billion
24
John Mara and Steve Tisch
New York Giants
$2.1 billion
25
Sheila Ford Hamp
Detroit Lions
$2 billion
26
Amy Adams Strunk
Tennessee Titans
$2 billion
27
Michael Bidwill
Arizona Cardinals
$1.4 billion
28
Zygi Wilf
Minnesota Vikings
$1.3 billion
29
McCaskey Family
Chicago Bears
$1.3 billion
30
Art Rooney II
Pittsburgh Steelers
$1.2 billion
31
Mike Brown
Cincinnati Bengals
$925 million
32
Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
N/A*
*The Green Bay Packers are publicly owned by their fans as a non-profit corporation.