New York Giants legendary quarterback, Eli Manning, is assembling a group of investors to buy a minority stake in the team he spent 16 years with, per multiple reports on Tuesday.
Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch have put up a 10% stake in the franchise, which had been owned by the Mara family since its inception in 1925.
The Giants have been valued by Forbes at $7.3 billion, meaning a 10% stake could cost roughly $700 million.
Manning has remained close to the organization that acquired him at the 2004 NFL Draft, with whom he played all 16 of his pro seasons and won a pair of Super Bowls and Super Bowl MVPs.
The franchise leader in wins, completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns currently serves in a business operations and fan engagement role.
During a January interview with CNBC Sport, Manning expressed interest in NFL ownership, specifically with the Giants.
“It’s definitely something of interest,” Manning said. “There’s probably only one team I’d be interested in pursuing, and it’s the one I played for for 16 years. And it’s local and makes the most sense, but we’ve just got to figure out if they would ever sell a little bit.”
In early February, the team announced that it had retained Moeolis & Company, an investment bank and strategic adviser, to investigate the possibility of selling a non-controlling stake in the franchise.
The Mara family sold 50% of the Giants to the Tisch family in 1991, where John Mara and Steve Tisch have been in control since 2005.
It was not until August of 2024 that the NFL ratified the option for private equity firms to buy up to a 10% share of franchises. In December, the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills became the first teams to sell stakes to such firms.
Manning could attempt to follow in the footsteps of the Bills’ newest minority owners, who include Basketball Hall of Famers Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, and former US men’s soccer star Jozy Altidore.
