Who Is The Richest NFL Owner?
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We all know that the NFL is a billion dollar industry, but just how much are its owners raking in? Let’s take a look at the five richest NFL owners and see how they got to the top.
The Richest Owners
The NFL is a billion-dollar industry and the owners of NFL teams are some of the richest people in the world. Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, is the richest NFL owner with a net worth of $8.6 billion. Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, is the second richest NFL owner with a net worth of $6.9 billion.
Jerry Jones
Jerry Jones is an American businessman and the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world. He is also the president and CEO of the general partner of Dallas Cowboys Football Club, L.P. Jerry Jones was born on October 13, 1942, in Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of Arkansas, where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. After graduation, he worked as a salesman for his father’s insurance company and then as a commodities broker. In 1989, he bought the Dallas Cowboys for $140 million. Under his ownership, the team has won three Super Bowl championships (1992, 1993, and 1995). Jerry Jones is worth an estimated $8 billion dollars.
Robert Kraft
Robert Kraft is the richest NFL owner, with a net worth of $6.6 billion. He is the Chairman and CEO of The Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate, and more. He also owns the New England Patriots, a professional American football team based in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Stephen Ross
Stephen Ross is the chairman and majority owner of the Miami Dolphins. He is also the founder, chairman, and CEO of The Related Companies, a real estate development firm. Ross has an estimated net worth of $7.6 billion, making him the richest NFL owner.
The Worth of an NFL Team
NFL teams are some of the most valuable franchises in the world. Even though they don’t make as much revenue as other professional sports teams, they are still worth a lot of money. The average NFL team is worth around $2.34 billion. The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable team, worth $5 billion. The least valuable team is the Buffalo Bills, worth $1.6 billion.
The Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are an American professional football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) East division. They are headquartered in Frisco, Texas, and play their home games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, which opened for the 2009 season. The stadium took the place of the partially imploded Texas Stadium, which served as the Cowboys’ home from 1971 to 2008.
The team is worth an estimated $4.8 billion, making them the most valuable sports franchise in the world, according to Forbes. The franchise was founded in 1960 as an expansion team. They have made eight Super Bowl appearances, tied with Pittsburgh and Denver for second most in NFL history behind New England’s eleven Super Bowl appearances.
The Cowboys have made 19 playoff appearances, including three times during the 1990s where they went to back-to-back Super Bowls winning once in 1992 and losing once in 1993—becoming only one of four teams to play two Super Bowls in a row. Eight of their playoff appearances have been as a division winner, while ten have been Wild Card berths. They have never had a losing season while being led by head coach Jason Garrett since he took over midway through the 2010 season.
The New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston region. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays its home games at Gillette Stadium in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is located 28 miles (45 km) southwest of downtown Boston.
The Patriots are also headquartered at Gillette Stadium. An ownership group led by Robert Kraft has owned the team since 1994. The team went on to win Super Bowls XLIX, LI, and LIII.
The Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The Dolphins play their home games at Hard Rock Stadium in the northern suburb of Miami Gardens, Florida, and are headquartered in Davie, Florida.
The Dolphins were founded by attorney-politician Joe Robbie and actor-comedian Danny Thomas. They began play in the AFL in 1966. The region had not received an NFL team since the departure of the Brooklyn Dodgers ten years earlier. Thomas’ group sold the expansion franchise to businessman H. Wayne Huizenga for $130 million, a then-record sum for an NFL team. Huizenga immediately hired Don Shula as head coach. The team made immediate improvements, signing future Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Griese, running back Larry Csonka, and wide receivers Paul Warfield and Howard Twilley.
The Dolphins have appeared in five Super Bowls starting with Super Bowl VI in 1971 and culminating with a victory in Super Bowl XIX following the 1984 season, winning two consecutive Super Bowls for the only time in NFL history (1975–76 Miami Dolphins being the only other team to accomplish this feat). They also appeared in two other Conference Championship Games and one AFL Championship Game prior to becoming part of the NFL with the 1970 AFL–NFL Merger—losing all three games by narrow margins—and have not returned to any since then despite appearing throughout most seasons since then subsequently making twelve playoff appearances through 2020. As of 2020, they rank second among all NFL franchises with 530 wins; only two teams have won more regular season games than them during their 52 year existence:the Baltimore Ravens(534 through 2020),and Pittsburgh Steelers(627).
How They Make Their Money
Some NFL team owners have been in the league for a long time and have made their money in other ways than just owning an NFL team. Some own other businesses, some have inherited their wealth, and some have even played in the NFL. Let’s take a look at the richest NFL owners and how they make their money.
Jerry Jones
From team ownership to real estate, to energy and mining, Jerry Jones is a man of many businesses. The self-made billionaire is the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world. He also happens to be one of the richest men in America, with an estimated net worth of $6.4 billion as of 2019.
Jones made his fortune in a variety of industries, but his biggest asset by far is the Cowboys. The team is worth an estimated $5 billion, and it generates around $620 million in annual revenue. That’s more than twice the revenue of the next most valuable NFL franchise, the New England Patriots.
In addition to the Cowboys, Jones also owns a share of several other businesses, including a minority stake in Comsat and investments in energy and mining companies. He also has a real estate portfolio that includes office buildings, hotels, and restaurants.
Robert Kraft
Kraft’s primary source of income is his ownership of the New England Patriots, which he bought for a then-record price of $172 million in 1994. The team is now worth an estimated $3.7 billion, according to Forbes, making Kraft the 13th richest NFL owner. In addition to the Patriots, Kraft owns Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution, and he has a minority stake in the Boston Uprising, an Overwatch League team. He also has a wide-ranging portfolio of other businesses, including a packaging company, a real estate development firm and a paper and forest products company.
Stephen Ross
Stephen Ross is the Chairman and CEO of The Related Companies, a real estate development firm. He is also the majority owner of the Miami Dolphins. Ross has a net worth of $12 billion as of 2019.
Ross began his career as a tax attorney. He later co-founded Related Companies with good friend Jeff Blau. The company has since developed numerous large-scale real estate projects, most notably Hudson Yards in New York City. Ross has also been an active philanthropist, donating millions of dollars to various causes over the years.
In 2008, Ross paid $1 billion to purchase a majority stake in the Miami Dolphins. He has since invested heavily in the team, spending over $500 million on stadium renovations. Ross also created the non-profit organization RISE (Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality) to promote social justice and racial equality through sports.
What They Spend Their Money On
In the NFL, there are a lot of rich owners. Some have made their money in other ways and some have inherited it. The thing they all have in common is that they are all very wealthy. They use this money to buy NFL teams, which are very expensive.
Jerry Jones
As the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones is one of the richest men in the NFL. His net worth is estimated to be around $8 billion, which makes him the richest NFL owner. He made his fortune in the oil and gas industry, but he also has a stake in the Cowboys franchise. The team is valued at around $4 billion, and it is estimated that Jones’s share of the franchise is worth around $2.3 billion.
Robert Kraft
Kraft is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate, and consulting. He owns two professional sports franchises: the National Football League’s (NFL) New England Patriots, which are based in Foxborough, Massachusetts; and Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Boston Breakers, which are based in Boston.
Stephen Ross
Stephen Ross is an American businessman and the chairman and majority owner of The Related Companies, a real-estate development firm. He is also the owner of the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins. Ross has a net worth of $12.5 billion as of November 2019, making him the richest NFL owner.
Ross was born in Detroit, Michigan, in May 1942. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1964 and a law degree from Wayne State University in 1967. Ross began his career as a tax attorney with Coopers & Lybrand in Detroit. In 1972, he joined Related Companies, which was then known as The Related Group of Companies.
The Related Group is a real-estate development firm that Ross founded in 1979. The company has developed numerous high-profile projects, including the Time Warner Center in New York City and CityPlace in West Palm Beach, Florida. Ross is the chairman and majority owner of The Related Companies, which has an estimated value of $15 billion.
In 2008, Ross purchased a 50% stake in the Miami Dolphins for $550 million. In 2009, he increased his ownership stake to 95% with an additional investment of $350 million. Ross is the first NFL owner to have his team play in three different countries: the United States, England (London), and Mexico (Azteca Stadium).
Ross is a major contributor to several charitable causes, including inner-city redevelopment, education reform, and medical research. He has pledged to donate $200 million to the University of Michigan for student financial aid and for renovations to the school’s athletic facilities.
Their Charitable Giving
In two separate rankings of the fifty most charitable people in America, the top two spots were occupied by NFL owners: first place went to Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, and second place went to New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Of the fifty people on the list, eleven were NFL owners. Why are NFL owners so charitable?
Jerry Jones
As the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones is one of the most well-known NFL Owners. He’s also one of the richest, with an estimated net worth of $8.6 billion. In addition to his football team, Jones also owns a number of other businesses, including a real estate company and a luxury car dealership.
But Jerry Jones is more than just a businessman – he’s also a philanthropist. In recent years, he’s donated millions of dollars to a number of charities, including the United Way, the Salvation Army, and the Red Cross. He’s also given generously to educational institutions like his alma mater, the University of Arkansas.
Jones’ charitable giving is just one example of the many ways that NFL owners give back to their communities. From supporting local causes to funding national initiatives, these men and women are using their wealth to make a difference in the world.
Robert Kraft
Patriots owner Robert Kraft has donated millions of dollars to a variety of charities over the years. In 2012, he donated $6 million to the New England Patriots Foundation, which supports a variety of charitable causes. He has also given millions of dollars to Jewish causes, including the Birthright Israel Foundation and the Friends of the IDF.
Stephen Ross
According to public records, Stephen Ross is the richest NFL owner with a net worth of $12 billion. He is the principal owner of the Miami Dolphins and is also the chairman and majority owner of The Related Companies, a real estate development firm.
Ross has been a major contributor to many charities, including the United Negro College Fund, the New York City Police Foundation, and the American Red Cross. In 2013, he donated $200 million to the University of Michigan to renovate its football stadium. He is also a proud supporter of equality and has worked with the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) to promote understanding, respect and inclusion in sports.
