One of America’s richest families is joining the Giants huddle just as the 2025–26 NFL season is about to kick off.
Julia Koch and members of her billionaire family are buying a minority stake in the Giants, according to multiple reports. A source familiar with the matter tells Front Office Sports a deal has been reached but is not yet finalized.
The Mara and Tisch families have been shopping a minority stake in the team since February, when they hired investment bank Moelis & Company to run a sale process.
The deal, first reported by Bloomberg, is expected to be presented to other NFL owners next month. It is for a 10% stake and values the Giants at more than $10 billion, Sportico reported, which represents the highest franchise value for an NFL team in history, surpassing the Bears’ $8.8 valuation in an equity share deal between the McCaskey and Ryan families that was reportedly reached last month. Before that, the highest team valuation was the 49ers, which in May sold a total 6% stake to a group of three families at a reported $8.5 billion valuation.
Under NFL rules, deals like this are subject to approval by the league’s finance committee, which is made up of owners, as well as a vote by the full group of owners, with a three-fourths approval necessary. There are no restrictions for when a deal can be brought to the finance committee or voted on by the full membership, an NFL spokesman tells FOS. The league holds standing meetings each year in March, May, October, and December, and additional meetings can be called at any time, if necessary.
Koch is the widow of Koch Industries majority owner David Koch. She and her family—known for their conservative political donations—have a net worth of $81.2 billion, according to Forbes. Koch Industries is a multinational conglomerate with businesses in an array of fields, from food and fuel to paper products and finance.
Although the company is headquartered in Wichita, Kan., the family has strong New York ties and is where Julia Koch lives. The Giants deal is her second foray into New York sports in as many years; last June, Koch purchased a minority stake in BSE Global, the parent company of the Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty.
The deal comes just a few days ahead of the Giants’ first game this season on Sunday against the Commanders.
With franchise valuations soaring and the NFL opening the door to limited private-equity ownership last summer, minority stakes have been selling like teams are all running a two-minute drill.
In May, in addition to the 49ers deal, the league approved the sale of a 0.1% stake in the Browns to Pro Football Hall of Famer Charles Woodson, the sale of an 8% stake in the Chargers to PE firm Arctos Partners, and the sale of a 1.1% stake in the Dolphins to an undisclosed group of businessmen. Before that, in December, the NFL approved the sale of a 10% stake in the Bills to Arctos and other limited partners, including former NBA stars Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, as well as the sale of an 8% stake in the Eagles to two investment groups. Last October, Tom Brady bought a roughly 5% stake in the Raiders.
The Giants, Koch, the NFL, and Moelis declined to comment.
