The 2018-19 NFL playoffs sent 12 teams into the bracket, from the community-held Green Bay Packers to clubs steered by family trusts. The New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII on February 3, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, a matchup that paired two of the league's richest organizations and two of its best-known owners, Robert Kraft and Stan Kroenke.
The playoff field's ownership mix combined decades-long family control, fresh successions, and one structure unique in American professional sports. Three teams changed hands in the 14 months before the postseason: the New Orleans Saints passed from Tom Benson to his widow Gayle Benson after his death in March 2018; the Houston Texans shifted to Janice McNair after founder Bob McNair died in November 2018; and the Seattle Seahawks entered the playoffs under the Paul Allen Trust after Allen died in October 2018. Green Bay remained the NFL's only community-owned, non-profit corporation, with shares spread across more than 360,000 stockholders.
The 2019 Playoff Teams and Their Owners
The 12 clubs that reached the 2018-19 postseason were the Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, and Philadelphia Eagles. Each operated under a distinct holding structure, from single individuals to family groups to trusts.
American Football Conference
Robert Kraft held the Patriots. He bought the club for $172 million in 1994, a figure reported by the team at the time; check the Patriots' media site for the official transaction record. Kraft founded the Kraft Group, a holding company with interests in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, and real estate. The Hunt family controlled the Kansas City Chiefs, with Clark Hunt serving as chairman and CEO. The organization began as the Dallas Texans in the American Football League in 1960 before moving to Kansas City. Dean Spanos held the Los Angeles Chargers; his family acquired a controlling interest in 1984. The Chargers relocated from San Diego to Los Angeles in 2017. Steve Bisciotti owned the Baltimore Ravens after securing a majority stake in 2004 for a reported $600 million, a figure cited in league transaction summaries at the time; the Ravens' press office holds the definitive purchase record. Janice McNair held the Houston Texans, taking over after her husband Bob McNair, who founded the expansion club that began play in 2002, died in November 2018. Jim Irsay owned the Indianapolis Colts; his father Robert Irsay acquired the club in 1972.
National Football Conference
Gayle Benson held the New Orleans Saints in 2019. Tom Benson bought the Saints for $70 million in 1985, a price the team confirmed at the time; the Saints' front office maintains the official sale record. After his death in March 2018, the club transferred to his widow. Stan Kroenke owned the Los Angeles Rams. When he moved the Rams to Los Angeles in 2016, NFL cross-holding rules required him to cede day-to-day control of his NBA Denver Nuggets and NHL Colorado Avalanche to family members. The Halas-McCaskey family had controlled the Chicago Bears since the team's founding, with Virginia Halas McCaskey serving as principal holder in 2019. Jerry Jones owned the Dallas Cowboys; he bought the club for $150 million in 1989, a figure the Cowboys' corporate office reported at closing. The Paul Allen Trust held the Seattle Seahawks in 2019, following Allen's death in October 2018. His sister Jody Allen served as chair. Jeffrey Lurie owned the Philadelphia Eagles; he bought the club in 1994 for $185 million, a price the Eagles disclosed at the time. The Green Bay Packers, a community-held non-profit corporation, operated under an elected board of directors with Mark Murphy serving as President and CEO in 2019.
Franchise Valuations and Financial Context
Forbes valued the Dallas Cowboys as the world's most valuable sports property at $5 billion in 2018. The New England Patriots ranked second among NFL clubs at $3.8 billion. Those estimates placed both Super Bowl LIII participants among the most valuable sports properties globally. The Cowboys, despite not reaching a Super Bowl since 1995, generated revenue that exceeded most NFL clubs by a wide margin under Jerry Jones. The Patriots' valuation reflected both on-field success and the Kraft Group's management of Gillette Stadium and associated real estate.
The financial stakes of the 2019 postseason extended beyond the Super Bowl winner's share. Club valuations across the NFL had risen steadily, driven by national television contracts and the league's revenue-sharing model. The 2019 playoff field included teams whose holders had seen their investments appreciate dramatically. Jones paid $150 million for the Cowboys in 1989. Kraft paid $172 million for the Patriots in 1994. Lurie paid $185 million for the Eagles that same year. Bisciotti paid $600 million for a majority stake in the Ravens in 2004. Each of those figures comes from team-issued statements at the time of sale; the clubs' media relations departments hold the official records.
NFL Ownership Rules and the 2019 Playoff Field
The NFL required a lead holder to keep at least a 30 percent equity stake in a club, and no holding group could exceed 25 individuals. Those rules shaped the structures of the 2019 playoff teams. Green Bay operated under a unique exemption: as a community-held non-profit corporation, the Packers had no lead holder with a 30 percent stake. Instead, an elected board of directors governed the team, and no single stockholder could own more than a small fraction of shares.
Stan Kroenke's arrangement with the Rams illustrated the league's cross-holding restrictions. NFL rules bar an owner from running teams in other major professional sports leagues in the same market where the NFL club plays. After moving the Rams from St. Louis to Los Angeles in 2016, Kroenke transferred day-to-day authority over his NBA and NHL teams in Denver to his son and daughter. That let him retain his interest in the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche while complying with league policy. The rule does not apply to clubs in different markets, so Kroenke also held Arsenal Football Club in the English Premier League.
Notable Ownership Transitions and Controversies
The 2019 playoff field included three clubs that had changed hands in the preceding 14 months. Tom Benson's death in March 2018 transferred the New Orleans Saints to his widow Gayle Benson. Bob McNair's death in November 2018 passed control of the Houston Texans to his wife Janice McNair. Paul Allen's death in October 2018 placed the Seattle Seahawks under the Paul Allen Trust, with his sister Jody Allen as chair. These transitions were notable because they moved holdings from founders or long-term lead owners to family members or trusts, a pattern common across professional sports but concentrated in a single playoff field.
Jerry Jones had been a controversial figure in league holding circles. As holder of the Dallas Cowboys, he frequently clashed with other owners over league revenue-sharing policies and sponsorship deals. His push for the NFL to let teams pursue their own sponsorship agreements, rather than pooling all national sponsorship revenue, created tension during the 2019 season. Dean Spanos faced criticism from fans and local officials after moving the Chargers from San Diego to Los Angeles in 2017. The relocation passed in a 32-2 vote of NFL owners.
How the 2019 Ownership Landscape Compared to Previous Years
The 2019 playoff field differed from previous years primarily in the number of clubs under trust or widow control. Three of the 12 teams had changed lead holders since the start of the 2017 season, an unusually high turnover for a league where club holdings often span decades.
Green Bay remained a constant outlier. No other major U.S. professional sports team operates under a similar community holding model. The Packers' structure dates to 1923, when the team sold shares to raise capital, and has been maintained ever since. The Dallas Cowboys under Jerry Jones and the New England Patriots under Robert Kraft continued to dominate the league's financial landscape. Both men had held their clubs for more than 25 years by 2019, and both had seen their investments grow by more than 20 times. The Rams' move to Los Angeles under Stan Kroenke represented the most significant club relocation among the playoff teams, and the cross-holding compliance requirements that followed were unique among the 2019 field. This snapshot of team holdings in the 2018-19 playoffs is a concluded historical record for that season.
Key Facts: 2019 NFL Playoff Team Ownership
- Playoff teams: 12
- Community-owned team: Green Bay Packers (over 360,000 stockholders)
- Ownership transitions in prior 14 months: 3 (Saints, Texans, Seahawks)
- Most valuable club (Forbes 2018): Dallas Cowboys, $5 billion
- Second most valuable (Forbes 2018): New England Patriots, $3.8 billion
- Super Bowl LIII winner: New England Patriots (13-3 over Los Angeles Rams)
- NFL minimum lead-holder stake: 30%
- Maximum holding group size: 25 individuals
Ownership of 2019 NFL Playoff Teams
| Team | Owner(s) in 2019 | Acquisition Year | Reported Purchase Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | Jerry Jones | 1989 | $150 million (per team statement at closing) |
| New England Patriots | Robert Kraft | 1994 | $172 million (per team statement at closing) |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Jeffrey Lurie | 1994 | $185 million (per team statement at closing) |
| Baltimore Ravens | Steve Bisciotti | 2004 | $600 million (per league transaction summary at the time) |
| Indianapolis Colts | Jim Irsay | 1972 | Not disclosed |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Clark Hunt (Hunt family) | 1960 | Not applicable (founded) |
| Los Angeles Chargers | Dean Spanos (Spanos family) | 1984 | Not disclosed |
| Los Angeles Rams | Stan Kroenke | 2010 | Not disclosed |
| New Orleans Saints | Gayle Benson | 1985 (Tom Benson); 2018 (Gayle) | $70 million (per team statement at closing) |
| Houston Texans | Janice McNair | 2002 (Bob McNair); 2018 (Janice) | Not disclosed |
| Seattle Seahawks | Paul Allen Trust (Jody Allen, chair) | 1997 | Not disclosed |
| Chicago Bears | Virginia Halas McCaskey (Halas-McCaskey family) | 1920 (founding) | Not applicable (founded) |
| Green Bay Packers | Community-owned (Mark Murphy, President/CEO) | 1923 (public sale) | Not applicable (community-held) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Green Bay Packers' ownership structure unique?
The Packers are the only community-held, non-profit corporation in the NFL. Shares are spread across more than 360,000 stockholders, and the team is governed by an elected board of directors. No single stockholder can own more than a small fraction of shares, which exempts the team from the NFL rule requiring a lead holder to keep at least a 30% equity stake.
What happened to Stan Kroenke's other sports teams after he moved the Rams to Los Angeles?
NFL cross-holding rules bar an owner from running teams in other major professional sports leagues in the same market where the NFL club plays. After moving the Rams to Los Angeles in 2016, Kroenke transferred day-to-day authority over his NBA Denver Nuggets and NHL Colorado Avalanche to his son and daughter to comply with league policy.
How did the 2019 playoff field compare to previous years in terms of ownership turnover?
The 2019 field had an unusually high number of recent transitions. Three of the 12 clubs (Saints, Texans, Seahawks) changed lead holders within the 14 months before the postseason, following the deaths of their previous owners.
