The Bears are valued at $8.9 billion after the NFL approved the sale of a minority stake in the team, CNBC reported Wednesday.
It’s the highest official valuation for any team in the league, though CNBC’s unofficial estimates have six other teams ahead of them: the Cowboys ($12.5 billion), Rams ($10.7 billion), Giants ($10.5 billion), Raiders ($9.3 billion), Patriots ($9.3 billion) and Jets ($9.1 billion).
The sale itself is relatively inconsequential. The 2.35% of the team formerly owned by the late Andrew McKenna’s estate was bought by the McCaskey and Ryan families. The McCaskey family owns 77% of the Bears, with the Ryan family owning the remainder.
The deal was agreed to in the summer and reportedly was finalized in the last several days.
The valuation includes the organization’s 326-acre property in Arlington Heights, where it plans to build a new stadium. Team president Kevin Warren has repeatedly said the plan is to break ground this year and open in time for the 2028 season.