Robert Kraft is the definition of a lifelong Patriots fan plus owner, and no one can even match the legacy he has built in New England. Unlike other franchise owners, who don’t seem to resonate with their teams’ culture. Kraft was there from the beginning, from owning a season ticket for 23 years to taking full ownership in 1994. It was a surreal moment that the Patriots fans could consider themselves fortunate enough to have Kraft lead their franchise over the years.

On the day he claimed the ownership of the Patriots, Kraft pledged, “My objective in buying the Patriots is to help bring a championship to New England.” Well, he didn’t only bring a championship back to New England. He has overseen an era of dominance where the Patriots are tied with the Steelers for 6 Super Bowls 30 years later. But what did the Patriots owner get in return for leading the NFL franchise? A simple answer to that is $11.8 Billion worth of fortune.

What is Robert Kraft’s Net worth in 2024?

With a net worth close to $12 billion, the Patriots owner has a portfolio that consists of New England Revolution (MLS), Gillette Stadium, International Forest Products, Rand-Whitney Group, and many more. However, Kraft had to struggle up the corporate ladder as he used to sell newspapers outside the old Braves Stadium in Boston as a kid. He completed his graduation from Columbia University with a bachelor’s of art/science. Later on, to expand his knowledge, Kraft enrolled in Harvard Business School to complete his MBA.

Starting his career with the Rand-Whitney Group, a paper and packaging company. Kraft never looked back from there on, as he later purchased the business while turning it into an empire within the paper and packaging industry. To expand his portfolio at that time, Kraft laid the foundation stone for International Forest Products in 1972. With a customer base spread across more than 120 countries, this company ranks 6th in terms of largest exporters in North America.

Among all the other accolades, the Patriots owner recently entered the thriving market of esports by starting his professional team. He launched a Boston franchise to enter the Overwatch esports league in 2017. Well, having so much success professionally didn’t guarantee happiness in his married life. As Robert Kraft lost his first time, Myra Hiatt Kraft, because of ovarian cancer in 2017. But after 10 years of staying as a widow, Kraft remarried, this time to Dana Blumberg, an ophthalmologist who is 34 years younger than him.

Astonishing, right, but it’s the billionaires we are talking about, and when you have such fortune, you are bound to find someone again. To start his second chapter of married life, Kraft threw a lavish wedding in 2022, where Elton John performed to make it a memorable occasion.

But all this wouldn’t have been possible if the Patriots owner hadn’t purchased the franchise for a sum of $172 million in 1994.

What is the New England Patriots’ Net worth?

It was a risky decision to purchase the Patriots, which paid huge dividends for Kraft over the years. He had to mortgage family resources to gather funds and put in the $172 million that got him the Patriots. It was an 11th-hour bid that landed him the club, which is currently valued at $7.31 billion.

But how come Kraft got the opportunity to purchase his beloved team that he supported from childhood? Well, it was some business manoeuvring that Robert showed to urge former Patriots owner Billy Sullivan into selling the franchise. During that time, Billy had the stadium and Patriots under his ownership. However, Kraft jumped onto the opportunity of owning the raceway that was adjacent to the Schaefer Stadium, the Patriots’ old home.

You might be wondering what good buying a raceway will do to Kraft’s dream of owning the Patriots. Then, you are not expecting what happened next. As Sullivan wasn’t able to hold non-Patriots events within the stadium as races took place at Bay State Raceway. It was not a property that Billy owned, as Kraft swooped in to exercise a 10-year option in his purchase. Eventually, after a series of bad investments and the financial debacle of a botched 1984 victory tour by the Jackson 5. Sullivan had to sell the Patriots to recover the money, he was losing throughout his ownership.

Looking back, the Patriots fans were lucky to find Robert Kraft as their owner. His series of wise investments and continued success paved the way for the Patriots’ success as an NFL franchise. Kraft will go down as the man who built a dynasty that is difficult for anyone else in the NFL to replicate.