New York Giants No. 6 Jackson Dart celebrates during an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium on October 9, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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The National Football League on Wednesday approved Julia Koch’s purchase of a 10% stake in the New York Giants in a deal that values the team at $10.3 billion, according to two people close to the deal but not authorized to speak publicly. The deal represents the highest valuation ever for an NFL team to sell a team.
The Giants are currently owned by the Mara and Tisch families. CNBC broke the news in May that Koch was considering buying the limited partnership portion of the Giants.
The league has also approved the sale of two other limited partner stakes, according to people close to the approvals, but have not received permission from the NFL to speak publicly. The person confirmed that Dean Metropoulos and private equity firm Sixth Street Partners bought an 8% stake in the New England Patriots in a deal that valued the team at $9 billion, and Fortress Investment Group executive chairman Pete Briger Jr. acquired a 3.2% stake in the San Francisco 49ers in a deal that valued the team at about $8.6 billion.
All three limited partner sales required the approval of at least three-quarters of NFL owners.
Julia Koch attends the Prostate Cancer Foundation Presents 2017 New York Dinner on November 6, 2017 in New York City.
Sylvain Gaboury | Patrick McMullan | Getty Images
As CNBC reported last month, the proceeds from the sale of the Patriots’ limited partners will be recorded on the team’s balance sheet. A person familiar with the deal but not authorized to speak publicly about it said the Patriots’ post-money valuation is $9.5 billion. The York family, which owns the 49ers, also sold a 6.2% stake in the team in May at a valuation of $8.6 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.
Last month, part of the Chicago Bears was sold at a valuation of $8.9 billion. The deal set an all-time record for the highest valuation for a minority stake in an NFL team.
NFL valuations released by CNBC on September 4 valued the Giants at $10.5 billion, the Patriots at $9.25 billion, the Bears at $8.9 billion, and the 49ers at $8.6 billion. The last control buyout of an NFL team was in 2023 when Josh Harris paid $6.05 billion to buy the Washington Commanders from Dan Snyder.
One of the reasons NFL teams’ values are skyrocketing is the expectation of significantly higher media rights. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told CNBC’s Alex Sherman last month that the league could begin renegotiating the 11-year, $111 billion media rights contract as early as next year. Nielsen said the league’s current media rights are significantly undervalued given the NFL’s overwhelming television ratings and new media rights deals between the NBA and NHL. According to the NFL, the league is averaging 18.5 million viewers per game across TV and digital this year, the highest average through Week 5 since 2010 and the second-highest average in history.
Another reason valuations are soaring is the introduction of private equity investors a year ago. CNBC reports that private equity firms have shown significant interest in acquiring the NFL, the world’s largest and most profitable sports league, boosting value by setting a floor on valuations and eliminating concerns other limited partners may have had about liquidity.
