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List of current NFL franchise owners

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The following is a list of current National Football League franchise owners:

Franchise Principal owner Since Ref.
Arizona Cardinals Michael Bidwill 1932 [1]
Atlanta Falcons Arthur Blank[a] 2002 [2]
Baltimore Ravens Steve Bisciotti[a] 2004 [3]
Buffalo Bills Terry Pegula 2014 [4]
Carolina Panthers David Tepper 2018 [5]
Chicago Bears — Virginia Halas McCaskey[a] 1920 [6]
Cincinnati Bengals Mike Brown 1991 [7][8]
Cleveland Browns Jimmy and Dee Haslam 2012 [9][10]
Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones 1989 [11]
Denver Broncos Rob Walton[b] 2022 [12][13]
Detroit Lions — Sheila Ford Hamp[a] 1963 [14]

[15][16]

Green Bay Packers — Green Bay Packers, Inc.[c] 1923
Houston Texans — Cal McNair 1999 [17]
Indianapolis Colts Jim Irsay 1972 [18]
Jacksonville Jaguars Shahid Khan 2012 [19]
Kansas City Chiefs Clark Hunt[d] 1960 [20]
Las Vegas Raiders Mark Davis and Carol Davis[a] 1971
Los Angeles Chargers Dean Spanos 1984 [21][22]
Los Angeles Rams Stan Kroenke 2010 [23]
Miami Dolphins Stephen Ross[a] 2008 [24]
Minnesota Vikings Zygi Wilf[a] 2005 [25]
New England Patriots Robert Kraft 1994 [26]
New Orleans Saints Gayle Benson 1985 [27]
New York Giants John Mara and Steve Tisch 1925 [28]
New York Jets Woody and Christopher Johnson 2000 [29]
Philadelphia Eagles Jeffrey Lurie 1994 [30]
Pittsburgh Steelers Rooney family (Art Rooney II) 1933 [31]
San Francisco 49ers Denise DeBartolo York and Jed York 1977 [32]
Seattle Seahawks — Jody Allen[e] 1997 [33]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Glazer family (Bryan Glazer) 1995 [34]
Tennessee Titans Amy Adams Strunk[f] 1959 [35][36]
Washington Commanders Josh Harris[a][g] 2023 [37]

Ownership restrictions

The NFL forbids corporations, religious groups, governments, and non-profit organizations from owning stakes in teams.[38] The NFL requires a controlling owner to hold at minimum a 30% stake in the team and forbids ownership groups of over 24 people; one team, the Green Bay Packers, is exempt from this under a grandfather clause and is owned by shareholders. The Houston Texans are also grandfathered in for their home county–the Harris County, Texas, government–which owns 5% of the team, as the rule forbidding governments from owning a team became effective in 2007. The NFL's constitution also forbids its owners from owning any other professional football teams, although an exception was made for teams from the now-defunct Arena Football League located in the NFL team's home market. In addition, the controlling owners of NFL teams were previously only permitted to own major league baseball, basketball and hockey teams if they were in the NFL team's home market, or were not located in other NFL cities.[39] Institutional investors were historically forbidden from purchasing stakes in NFL teams until an August 2024 rule change; that December, it approved the sale of portions of the Dolphins and Buffalo Bills to private equity firms.[40]

Stan Kroenke, who owned hockey and basketball teams in Denver, was nonetheless unanimously allowed to buy the then-St. Louis Rams in 2010 and hold on to his Denver assets until 2015. Even then, the Denver assets were transferred to his wife, Ann.[41] Soccer has been exempt from these restrictions since 1982, when the league lost a lawsuit filed by the original NASL stemming from the investments of Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt and Elizabeth Robbie, the wife of Miami Dolphins founder Joe Robbie in NASL teams;[42] as a result, NFL owners have owned teams in MLS in other NFL markets. In October 2018, the NFL owners voted to relax the cross-ownership rule, allowing controlling NFL owners to own other professional teams within NFL markets outside their home market.[43] The league also informally requires prospective owners to have high liquidity in their assets and positive cash flow; having a majority of one's wealth invested in real estate is often grounds for rejection.[44]

See also

Notelist

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Majority or controlling owner in a limited partnership.
  2. ^ Includes his daughter and her husband. Other non-family members of the ownership group include Mellody Hobson, Condoleezza Rice, and Sir Lewis Hamilton.
  3. ^ Public corporation with a grandfathered exception to modern NFL ownership rules. The team is governed by a board of directors with president and CEO Mark Murphy representing the team.
  4. ^ The four children of team founder Lamar Hunt share legal ownership, with Clark Hunt as acting owner.
  5. ^ Jody Allen represents the estate of Paul Allen, who mandated the eventual sale of the team in his will.
  6. ^ Representing the children, widowed daughter-in-law, and grandchildren of founding owner Bud Adams.
  7. ^ Limited partners:

References

  1. ^ Brown, Brandon (October 6, 2019). "Arizona Cardinals Owner Bill Bidwill Dies". Phoenix Business Journal.
  2. ^ Starrs, Chris (September 17, 2018). "Arthur Blank". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  3. ^ S.I. Staff (n.d.). "Steve Bisciotti, Baltimore Ravens". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  4. ^ S.I. Staff (n.d.). "Kim and Terry Pegula, Buffalo Bills". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  5. ^ Haislop, Tadd (May 22, 2018). "Who is Panthers' new owner? Fast facts about David Tepper". Sporting News. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  6. ^ S.I. Staff. "Virginia Halas McCaskey, Chicago Bears". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  7. ^ Kirkendall, Josh (December 23, 2011). "Brown Family Completes Deal To Purchase 30% Of The Cincinnati Bengals". Cincy Jungle. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  8. ^ S.I. Staff (n.d.). "Mike Brown, Cincinnati Bengals". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 8, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  9. ^ "Browns' Sale to Jimmy Haslam Done". ESPN. Associated Press. October 25, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  10. ^ Schefter, Adam (August 2, 2012). "Sources: Browns Sold for Over $1B". ESPN. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  11. ^ Roy, Reagan (February 25, 2019). "On This Day: Jerry Jones buys Dallas Cowboys in 1989 for $140M". CBS19. Tyler, Texas: KYTX-TV. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  12. ^ "NFL owners approve Walton-Penner group's purchase of Denver Broncos franchise". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. August 9, 2022. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  13. ^ DiLalla, Aric (August 9, 2022). "'Putting a winning team on the field is our No. 1 priority': Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group unanimously approved, introduced as new Broncos owners". DenverBroncos.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  14. ^ Rothstein, Michael (June 23, 2020). "Detroit Lions Owner Martha Firestone Ford, 94, Steps Down; Sheila Ford Hamp Takes Over". ESPN. Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  15. ^ Risdon, Jeff (June 24, 2020). "A History of the Detroit Lions Franchise Ownership". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  16. ^ Patra, Kevin (June 23, 2020). "Lions Owner Martha Ford Stepping Down, Will Be Succeeded by daughter". National Football League. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  17. ^ "Who is the Houston Texans' owner? History of the McNair family". ProFootballNetwork. February 19, 2021. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  18. ^ "Trading an NFL Franchise: A Brief History". Last Word on Sports. July 29, 2019. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  19. ^ Sandomir, Richard (December 1, 2011). "Jaguars Buyer Had His Eye on Ownership of a Franchise". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  20. ^ "Meet the Dallas billionaire responsible for the Kansas City Chiefs' resurgence". January 26, 2020. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  21. ^ Ramirez, Fernando. "Understanding The Chargers Ownership News". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 1, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  22. ^ Breech, John (April 1, 2021). "Chargers co-owner asks court to force sale of team due to mounting debts exceeding $350 million, per report". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  23. ^ "Fleming: Reclusive NFL owner sparks chaos". ESPN. March 18, 2015. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  24. ^ Hoffower, Hillary; Kaplan, Juliana. "Stephen Ross — Trump donor and Equinox chairman — has reportedly already donated $1 million toward NYC's next elections. Take a look at how one of the city's richest residents built his fortune". Business Insider. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  25. ^ "Sources: Wilf family emerges as top Wolves suitor". ESPN. July 22, 2020. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  26. ^ Gaines, Cork. "Robert Kraft saved the New England Patriots with a gutsy $175 million investment and it has paid off big time". Business Insider. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  27. ^ "Blakeview: The story of Tom Benson and the New Orleans Saints". NOLA.com. March 9, 2020. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  28. ^ "New York Giants ownership at a glance". ESPN. March 18, 2015. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  29. ^ Sandomir, Richard (January 12, 2000). "The Jets Fill One Opening: New Owner at $635 Million". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  30. ^ Tornoe, Rob (September 20, 2018). "Jeff Lurie bought the Eagles for $185 million. They're worth a lot more today". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  31. ^ "History of Pittsburgh Steelers Sports, Inc". FundingUniverse. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  32. ^ S.I. Staff (n.d.). "Get to know the York family, the San Francisco 49ers' owners". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  33. ^ "Council Oks Allen's Purchase Of Seahawks". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  34. ^ Maiorana, Sal. "The billionaire Glazer family who owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has roots in Rochester". Democrat and Chronicle. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  35. ^ Climer, David. "With Bud Adams' death, what lies ahead for Titans?". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 16, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  36. ^ Boclair, David. "Adams Heirs to Remain Titans Owners". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  37. ^ Keim, John (July 20, 2023). "NFL owners approve $6.05B sale of Commanders to Harris group". ESPn. Archived from the original on July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  38. ^ "Constitution and Bylaws of the National Football League" (PDF). National Football League. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 13, 2018.
  39. ^ "Constitution and Bylaws of the National Football League" (PDF). National Football League. 2006. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  40. ^ Primack, Tim; Baysinger, Dan (December 11, 2024). "Private equity buys into NFL's Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins". Axios. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  41. ^ "NFL owners let Kroenke keep Rams; transfer Nuggets, Avalanche to his wife". Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  42. ^ North American Soccer League v. National Football League, 670 F.2d 1249 (2d Cir. 1982).
  43. ^ Farmer, Sam (October 16, 2018). "NFL owners vote to allow cross-ownership in cities with football teams". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  44. ^ "Trump's failed bid to purchase Bills mentioned in Times article". WBEN. March 19, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
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