Private equity firm Sixth Street and billionaire Dean Metropoulos have agreed to buy an 8% stake in NFL franchise the New England Patriots that values the team at more than $9bn, according to a report by Sports Business Journal.
Sixth Street is buying 3%, while Metropoulos will own 5%. The Kraft family will still own more than 90% of the Patriots. The funds are expected to be reinvested into the franchise. The deal does not include MLS’ New England Revolution, which the Kraft family also owns.
The Patriots declined to comment, while Sixth Street and Metropoulos did not immediately return attempts to comment. was the first to report the agreement.
It would be the second-richest valuation ever for an NFL team after the Koch family’s agreement to buy 10% of the New York Giants, which values the team at more than $10bn. The Koch-Giants deal is also set to be voted on in October, as well as a third transaction where the San Francisco 49ers are selling an LP stake at an $8.6bn valuation, the same as their sale of 6% last year.
This is the first NFL deal for Sixth Street, which is one of the firms approved last year for NFL ownership. The private equity firm, which has more than $100bn in assets under management, has pushed hard into sports in recent years.
Sixth Street began investing in sports in 2021, when it purchased 51% ownership of Legends, the events and hospitality business started by the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Yankees. The Cowboys and the Yankees remain co-owners.
Sixth Street’s portfolio includes LaLiga giants Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, as well a 20% stake in the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs. It is the majority owner of the NWSL’s Bay FC. In 2025, it bought a stake in MLB’s San Francisco Giants and was part of the investment consortium led by Bill Chisholm that paid $6.1bn for the NBA’s Boston Celtics.
Other PE firms that have bought NFL stakes since the league opened the door to such investments in 2024 include Arctos Partners (Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers) and Ares Management, which purchased 10% of the Miami Dolphins at an $8.1 billion valuation.
