The Giants have agreed to sell a minority stake in their franchise to Julia Koch and members of the billionaire Koch family, according to Bloomberg.
The club is valued at $10.5 billion by CNBC Sport as the NFL kicks off its 2025 season, and the Giants are looking to sell up to 10% of their franchise in the deal.
The talks are subject to final agreement by both sides and could still fall apart, according to Bloomberg’s initial report. But the expectation is that the proposed sale will be presented to the NFL’s other owners in October.
Koch has been looking to invest in New York sports assets. She and her three children bought 15% of BSE Global, the parent company of the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty and Barclays Center in 2024 at a $6 billion valuation.
Julia, the widow of David Koch, is worth $78.9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Control of the Giants would remain with the Mara and Tisch families if the deal goes through. Current president John Mara’s grandfather, Tim Mara, founded the team in 1925.
Since 1991, the Tisch and Mara families have each owned 50% of the club, with a long list of individual family members holding small stakes. Since the passing of Wellington Mara and Bob Tisch in 2005, the team has been under the control of John Mara and Steve Tisch on behalf of their respective families.
In February, when the news of the Giants selling a stake first broke, the franchise’s estimated value ranged from $7.3 billion (Forbes) to $7.85 billion (CNBC). But the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles were valued at between $6.6 billion to $7 billion and then sold 8% of their operation in December to two wealthy families in deals that valued the club at $8.1 billion and $8.3 billion, respectively.
The Giants made some staff changes and cuts this offseason with an eye on their plans for a pending sale, as well, to make the business more attractive for buyers.
Plus, in June, the Los Angeles Lakers agreed a deal with asset management billionaire and serial sports team owner Mark Walter for a majority stake in the NBA franchise from the Buss family, valuing the team at a record $10 billion.
The Giants are one of the five teams that joined the NFL in 1925 and have been owned by the Mara family since. In 1991, the Tisch family bought half of the club at a reported valuation of about $150 million. The franchise is now the third-most valuable NFL team behind the Dallas Cowboys ($12.5 billion) and Los Angeles Rams ($10.7 billion), per CNBC Sport.
Over the past few years, NFL teams have soared in value, largely driven by lucrative media-rights deals and the approval of private equity funds as owners, giving the league’s owners a new pool of capital to explore.
The Miami Dolphins were valued at $8.1 billion after striking a deal with Ares Management. And the San Francisco 49ers surpassed both at about an $8.6 billion valuation.
