Jamesty
The National Football League is more than just a sport; it’s a huge economic engine, a cultural touchstone, and a stage for some of the richest and most ambitious people in the world. The people who control the 32 franchises are not just rich fans; they are business tycoons, real estate moguls, and private equity pioneers who have constructed empires that go far beyond the gridiron. Their fortune shows that they are good at business, and their ownership is a mix of passion, prestige, and a lot of money. The value of these franchises—and the net worth of its owners—keeps going up to levels that are out of this world as the league’s revenue rises with each new television rights contract.
To understand the NFL’s owners’ finances, you need to know about the modern global economy. These fortunes are often spread out throughout a huge number of sectors, including energy, banking, entertainment, and technology. On the field, the competition is fierce, but the owners’ finances are in a league of their own. The leaderboard is always changing, and billions of dollars separate the players. For anyone who really cares about the sport, knowing who controls the money gives them a better idea of how the league works, how it might grow, and how much money is behind the search for the Lombardi Trophy.
In this exclusive deep dive, we reveal the people and families whose money makes up the NFL’s economic powerhouse. This research goes deeper than just the surface. It looks at the different ways they made their huge riches, how they are changing the future of the league, and the legacy they are building on and off the field. The rankings for 2025 show how the financial world is always changing because of market changes, big asset sales, and new purchases that change the top levels of sports ownership.
At Nubia magazine, we are dedicated to giving our readers accurate and useful information on the people that shape our world. Today, we’re going to talk about the top professional sports owners, who are the best of the best. Here is our final list of the Top 10 Richest NFL Owners In The World 2025, along with the tales behind their huge net worths.
List Of Top 10 Richest NFL Owners In The World 2025
1. The Hunt Family (Cleveland Browns)
The Hunt family’s ties to the NFL are deep and important, and they are a big part of the league’s history. The family’s heritage is unmatched, thanks in large part to the late Lamar Hunt, a visionary who helped bring about the merger of the AFL and NFL and even came up with the name “Super Bowl.” Their riches is based on their ownership of the Cleveland Browns, but it goes much beyond the football field. Their children run the trust that manages their money. Hunt Consolidated, Inc., a big oil and gas exploration and production firm based in Dallas, is the family’s most valuable asset. This basic asset brings in a steady and large supply of money, which protects the family’s sports interests from the ups and downs of any one team. The Browns have tried to have consistent success on the field, but the Hunt family’s wealth, which comes from a variety of investments including real estate, makes them one of the richest ownership groups in all of professional sports. This shows that their influence is both historic and lasting.
2. David Tepper, owner of the Carolina Panthers
David Tepper is the perfect example of a modern billionaire NFL owner: he made an incredible amount of money as a hedge fund manager by being very smart about the market. Tepper is the founder of Appaloosa Management, a global hedge fund that focuses on distressed debt. He has always been one of the highest-paid people in finance. At the time, his acquisition of the Carolina Panthers established a record. This showed how much money he had and how much he wanted to build a name for himself in the NFL. Tepper’s net worth is quite liquid and directly related to how well he is at investing. This means that it can change a lot depending on how the market is doing. In addition to the Panthers, he has expanded his sports interests by buying MLS’s Charlotte FC, which has made him even more powerful in the Carolina sports scene. Tepper is known for being obsessive and occasionally impatient. His fortune enables him the means to aggressively pursue success, such as by investing huge facility upgrades and making bold, although sometimes pricey, personnel selections in his desire to construct a winner.
3. Stan Kroenke owns the Los Angeles Rams.
Stan Kroenke is not only the owner of an NFL team; he is also a global sports and real estate empire builder. His marriage to Ann Walton, an heir to the Walmart wealth, gave him a boost, but Kroenke is a very successful businessman on his own, having started The Kroenke Group, a huge real estate development company. But the world of sports is where his vision comes to life the most. He owns a lot of teams, like the Denver Nuggets (NBA), the Colorado Avalanche (NHL), Arsenal FC (English Premier League), and the Colorado Mammoth (NLL). His biggest move was moving the St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles and then building the amazing, multi-billion dollar SoFi Stadium. This endeavor, which was sponsored by private money, not only brought the Rams back to a huge market, but it also developed an asset that can make money that is unlike any other. Kroenke is one of the most powerful and important people in the sports industry since he has a lot of money from both inherited retail riches and income from his own real estate and sports enterprise.
4. Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones is one of the smartest people on our list when it comes to establishing brands, even though some of the others may have more money. When he bought the Dallas Cowboys in 1989, he didn’t only get a football team. He also got an iconic American brand that he turned into “America’s Team,” a global financial powerhouse, via hard work and smart marketing. Jones made his first millions by looking for oil and gas, but the Dallas Cowboys are what he will be remembered for. The team always makes the most money in the NFL because of its state-of-the-art facility, AT&T facility, which is a year-round entertainment attraction, and its very profitable sponsorship arrangements. The team’s identity is closely tied to Jones’s hands-on style and his charming, if controversial, personality. His riches is closely linked to the Cowboys’ value skyrocketing, which he has skillfully orchestrated, making him not just the owner but also the CEO of the most valuable sports organization on Earth.
5. Stephen Ross (Dolphins of Miami)
Stephen Ross is a giant in New York City real estate, and he made his money by building things from the ground up. Ross is the creator of Related Companies and has been in charge of some of the biggest urban development projects in the US, including the huge Hudson Yards makeover on Manhattan’s West Side. His knowledge of real estate directly led to his purchase of the Miami Dolphins. He then spent millions of dollars renovating Hard Rock Stadium, making it a contemporary, flexible venue that can hold Super Bowls and international soccer events. Ross’s plans go beyond the NFL; he is the man behind the Miami Grand Prix, which brings Formula 1 racing to the stadium grounds and gives him even more ways to make money. Ross’s football team has tried to stay successful, but his influence on South Florida’s sports and entertainment scene is clear, thanks to the huge and continuous cash flow from his large, high-end real estate portfolio.
6. Shahid Khan, owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars
The narrative of Shahid Khan is the perfect example of the American dream. He came to the United States from Pakistan with very little and worked his way through the University of Illinois. He then started Flex-N-Gate, an automobile parts supplier that became a billion-dollar company after getting a big contract with Toyota. His rise from an immigrant to an industrial billionaire is just as impressive as his entrance into sports ownership. Khan bought the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012. Since then, he has sought to make the team more popular in its market by improving the stadium and making a big push to host regular-season games in London to get more fans from other countries. Khan, like Kroenke, is interested in sports all over the world. He also owns the English soccer team Fulham FC. His fortune, which comes from the strong manufacturing sector, gives him a solid base for his big ambitions to improve the region around the Jaguars’ stadium. He wants to turn downtown Jacksonville into a lively hub, which shows that his passion goes beyond football.
7. Robert Kraft (New England Patriots)
Robert Kraft’s ownership of the New England Patriots is an example of how to transform a successful sports venture into a dynasty, both on the field and in terms of money. Kraft’s first big business was the Kraft Group, a diversified holding firm that produced money in the paper and packaging business. This business gave him the money he needed to buy his first NFL team. He was smart enough to buy the team’s stadium leases before finally buying the team itself in 1994. Coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady guided the team to the most successful run in modern NFL history, winning six Super Bowls. This unexpected accomplishment made the franchise much more valuable, turning it from a mediocre asset into one of the league’s most valued. Kraft’s money is now intimately linked to the Patriots’ brand, which he has turned into a global powerhouse. This has made him one of the most revered and powerful owners in all of sports.
8. Josh Harris, who plays for the Washington Commanders
Josh Harris is a private equity magnate, which is a new type of NFL owner. Harris made his money through leveraged buyouts and complicated financial engineering. He is a co-founder of Apollo Global Management, one of the biggest and most powerful alternative investment firms in the world. His purchase of the Washington Commanders in 2023, which ended the tumultuous time of the previous owner, was a big deal for the team and its fans. Harris is not new to owning sports teams; he has owned the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) and the New Jersey Devils (NHL) in the past. People often say that his method is scientific and based on statistics. He used a group of wealthy investors to make the record-breaking purchase. His wealth is huge, but it’s not like the industrial fortunes of other owners. It’s very financialized and spread out across a lot of assets. The Commanders are now the crown jewel of his sports portfolio and a sign of how private equity is becoming more important in professional sports.
9. The Glazer Family owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Glazer family’s fortune and way of owning things are one of a kind. They got their start by taking over a global sports icon in a bold (and controversial) move. Malcolm Glazer, who died in 2014, created a varied portfolio by investing in healthcare, real estate, and television. However, the family’s wealth really changed when they bought Manchester United, one of the most famous soccer clubs in the world, with borrowed money. This purchase, which put a lot of debt on the club, was a brilliant move for brand value since it gave the Glazers a steady stream of income from one of the largest fan groups in the world. This global sports empire backs up their ownership of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team they have owned since 1995. The family can compete in the NFL because of the money they make from Manchester United. They use it to buy players and improve their stadium. They are genuinely global players because they own sports teams on different continents. Their financial structure uses the strength of one famous brand to help and improve the other.
10. Kim and Terry Pegula own the Buffalo Bills.
Terry Pegula’s narrative of how he got rich is a classic example of a modern energy boom. Pegula, who has a degree in geology, started East Resources, a business that looks for natural gas, and sold it for an incredible $4.7 billion during the height of the shale gas boom. This huge liquidity event helped him get into the realm of professional sports because he loved the teams in Western New York. He and his wife, Kim, initially bought the Buffalo Sabres (NHL) and then led the effort to buy the Buffalo Bills, making sure the franchise stayed in the area. The Pegulas’ wealth is closely linked to the energy sector, which can be unstable, but their sale gave them a lot of money to invest. They have since branched out into sports media and development, with the goal of building a sports and entertainment district in Buffalo. People consider their ownership as a civic duty, using the money they make from energy to protect and improve the sports culture in their city.
