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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.
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: 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.
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: The last time the Broncos won the Super Bowl
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: 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.
MORE: 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: 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.
MORE: 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: 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.
MORE: 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: 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.
MORE: 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.
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: 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."
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: 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 | $23.6 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 | $14.9 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.
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