If the NFL ever decides to dump its salary cap, there's a good chance the Carolina Panthers would turn into an unstoppable powerhouse and that's because they have the richest owner in the league. According to the newest billionaire numbers from Forbes, Panthers owner David Tepper has a higher net worth than any other owner in the NFL.
The numbers from Forbes were released this week as part of the publication's 39th annual look at the 400 richest people in America. With an estimated net worth of $13 billion, Tepper is ranked as the 41st richest person in the country. Tepper has so much money that he's worth nearly $4.5 billion more than the second-richest owner, Jerry Jones.
According to Forbes, there are only three owners in the NFL who are worth more than $8 billion. Besides Tepper, the only other owners in the $8 billion club are Jones and Rams owner Stan Kroenke. The one interesting thing about Kroenke is that he definitely has the highest family net worth. The Rams owner is married to Walmart heiress Ann Walton Kroenke, who's worth an estimated $8.4 billion, which makes her the 58th richest person in the country and one of the 10 richest women in America.
As for Jones, although he made a big part of his fortune in oil, his net worth has been steadily increasing over the past 30 years due to his ownership of the Cowboys. The team regularly leads the NFL in attendance and merchandise sales, which means the Cowboys are raking in a lot more money than pretty much any other NFL team.
And since you're probably wondering, the richest person on Forbes' list this year is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who has an estimated net worth of $179 billion. The only reason we're mentioning that here is because Bezos apparently has some interest in becoming an NFL owner. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reported back in November that Bezos "has become close with several current owners and has strong support within the league to eventually join their ranks."
During Super Bowl LIII, Bezos sat in a suite with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Amazon's Jeff Bezos Spotted with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in Super Bowl Live Shot https://t.co/tmagqQYjKd pic.twitter.com/HF966F29pJ
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) February 4, 2019
Not to mention, Bezos already has some NFL ties because his company, Amazon, is paying some serious money to stream "Thursday Night Football." The online company has been streaming TNF since 2017 and will continue to stream it until at least 2022. For the 2020 season, Amazon will get to stream a standalone game for the first time ever.
Basically, if Bezos ever buys an NFL team, he'll shoot to the top of the list, but for now, here's the current list of the NFL's 15 richest owners.
Top-15 richest owners in the NFL
1. David Tepper, Panthers: $13 billion (Ranked 41st richest person in the country)
2. Jerry Jones, Cowboys: $8.6 billion (56th overall)
3. Stan Kroenke, Rams: $8.3 billion (59th overall)
4. Shahid Khan, Jaguars: $7.8 billion (66th overall)
5. Stephen Ross, Dolphins: $7.2 billion (74th overall)
6. Robert Kraft, Patriots: $6.6 billion (93rd overall)
7. Arthur Blank, Falcons: $6.1 billion (105th overall)
8. Terry Pegula, Bills: $5.5 billion (129th overall)
9. Stephen Bisciotti, Ravens: $4.6 billion (154th overall)
10. Janice McNair, Texans: $3.9 billion (197h overall)
11. Gayle Benson, Saints: $3.3 billion (249th overall)
T-12. Jim Irsay, Colts: $3 billion (T-278th overall)
T-12. Jimmy Haslam, Browns: $2.9 billion (T-295th overall)
14. Jeffrey Lurie, Eagles: $2.7 billion (319th overall)
15. Daniel Snyder, Washington Football Team, $2.6 billion (327th overall)
