It’s been a busy week for the San Francisco 49ers. First, the team dropped one of the more impressive schedule release videos for the 2025 season, an homage to the classic “Oregon Trail” video game series. And now, owner Jed York is nearing a deal to sell a minority stake in the team at a HUGE valuation.

The sale is to three Bay Area families, who will receive a 6.2% stake in the franchise. The Khosla family will receive the largest share at 3.1%, the Deeters will acquire 2.1%, and the Griffiths will get a 1% stake. Each of the buyers comes from the venture capital world.

Per reports, the valuation of the 49ers in this deal is $8.5 billion. That would be the highest valuation in a sale in professional sports history. The extended York family controlled a combined 97% of the 49ers before the sale, so that implies a roughly $527 million windfall.

San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)

The York family had been considering selling a stake worth as much as 10% in recent months. With this purchase being 6.2% of the team, the buyers would be putting up a collective $527 million for their shares, assuming the deal gets finalized.

With five Super Bowl victories and eight NFC Championship crowns across franchise history, the 49ers are one of the most valuable teams in the league. The team had a down year last season but reached the Super Bowl in 2023 and 2019.

This sale is the latest in a series of franchises selling a minority stake at astronomical values. Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie sold an 8% portion of the team to two buyers last year. The deal, which was approved by the NFL in March, valued the Eagles at $8.3 billion. Lurie will still retain 85% of the team. In December 2024, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross sold 13% of the Dolphins to two buyers; the sale put the franchise value at $8.1 billion.

In the meantime, the Los Angeles Chargers owners are looking to sell part of the team. The Chargers haven’t had the franchise success of the 49ers, but at the rate these deals are happening, we just may see another record sale before too long.

Meet the New Investors

If the deal is finalized at the reported $8.5 billion valuation, the three Bay Area families will collectively pay around $527 million for a combined 6.2% stake in the 49ers. Here’s a closer look at who they are and what they’re putting on the table:

Vinod Khosla – Estimated investment: $263.5 million (3.1%)

A veteran of Silicon Valley, Vinod Khosla co-founded Sun Microsystems in 1982 and later launched Khosla Ventures, a venture capital firm based in Menlo Park. He has made bold bets in clean energy, biotech, and food tech, backing companies like Impossible Foods and Square. Khosla is also notable for having spent over a decade in a legal battle with the state of California over public access to a beach near his property in San Mateo County — a case that became a flashpoint in the debate over private property rights versus coastal access. Khosla is worth $9 billion

Byron Deeter – Estimated investment: $178.5 million (2.1%)

A partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, Deeter is a key figure in the cloud computing space. He has led early investments in companies like Twilio, DocuSign, and LinkedIn. A UC Berkeley graduate and former rugby player, Deeter remains a prominent figure in the Bay Area startup ecosystem.

William Griffith – Estimated investment: $85 million (1.0%)

Griffith is a partner at ICONIQ Capital, a low-profile San Francisco firm that manages money for some of the tech world’s biggest names. He played football at Dartmouth and holds an MBA from Stanford. His background combines private equity, venture capital, and family office wealth management.

The York and DeBartolo Families

The San Francisco 49ers have been controlled by the same extended family since 1977, when Edward DeBartolo Jr. acquired the team from the Morabito family. The purchase was funded by his father, Edward J. DeBartolo Sr., a pioneering real estate developer who built one of the largest shopping mall empires in the United States. At its peak, The DeBartolo Corporation developed more than 80 malls across the country and played a key role in shaping the modern suburban retail experience.

In 1996, the DeBartolo Corporation merged with Simon Property Group, forming what is now the largest mall operator in the world. That merger helped cement the family’s financial legacy, even as ownership of the 49ers shifted in the years to come.

Eddie Jr. served as the 49ers’ hands-on owner during the team’s dynastic run in the 1980s and early 1990s, winning five Super Bowls. But in 1998, he became embroiled in a federal corruption case involving a Louisiana casino license and former governor Edwin Edwards. He pleaded guilty to failing to report a felony, was fined $1 million, and received a one-year suspension from the NFL. Rather than return, he stepped aside.

In 2000, control of the team was formally transferred to his sister, Denise DeBartolo York, as part of a family settlement. Her son, Jed York, gradually assumed day-to-day leadership and is now CEO.