Robert Kraft Trend Surges: Inside the Patriots Owner’s Latest Head-Turning Announcement

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has agreed to sell an 8 percent minority stake in the six-time Super Bowl champions, a deal that pegs the franchise’s value at more than $9 billion, according to people familiar with the transaction. Under terms of the agreement, private-equity giant Sixth Street Partners will purchase roughly 3 percent of the team, while billionaire investor Dean Metropoulos will acquire about 5 percent. The cash infusion will remain on the Patriots’ balance sheet rather than in Kraft’s personal accounts, positioning the club for future stadium upgrades, technology investments and potential real-estate development surrounding Gillette Stadium. NFL finance-committee approval is still required, but league owners are expected to vote on the transaction at their October meetings. Kraft, 84, bought the Patriots for $172 million in 1994. The pending sale would deliver a return of roughly 5,130 percent on his original purchase price and cements the Patriots as the NFL’s fifth-most-valuable franchise. Only the Cowboys, Giants, Rams and Commanders carry higher valuations. The timing of the deal comes as a surge of institutional money flows into pro football. Earlier this month, the Chicago Bears cleared a 2.35 percent stake sale valuing that club at $8.9 billion, while the New York Giants are lining up a 10 percent sale at a record $10.3 billion valuation. For Kraft, the minority stake sale offers several strategic upsides: • Debt reduction and added liquidity ahead of the NFL’s next media-rights cycle. • Capital for a phased expansion of the Patriot Place entertainment district. • Flexibility to maintain family control while opening the door for future succession planning. The deal also underscores the rapidly escalating worth of NFL equity at a moment when Amazon, Google and Apple are vying for streaming rights and legalized sports betting is driving new revenue streams. Sixth Street Partners, which already holds stakes in FC Barcelona’s media arm and the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, gains exposure to America’s most lucrative sports league without the operational obligations of majority ownership. Metropoulos, best known for reviving Hostess Brands, adds a marquee sports asset to a portfolio that spans packaged foods, consumer products and hospitality. Although questions remain about the Patriots’ on-field future—rookie head coach Jerod Mayo is replacing legendary strategist Bill Belichick—Kraft’s boardroom maneuver demonstrates that the business of football in New England is as robust as ever. If the NFL rubber-stamps the agreement, the transaction will close before the 2025 postseason, officially ushering in a new era of shared ownership in Foxborough.