NFL owners approve Arctos' 7.5% stake in the Falcons

NFL owners approved Arctos as a limited partner in the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday at league meetings in New York, the team announced. The deal covers a 7.5 percent stake now. Arctos has also committed to buy another 2.5 percent later, which would need a separate ownership vote.

Arthur M. Blank, the Falcons' owner and chairman, said the proceeds will support his family's philanthropic work. "We are pleased to welcome the team at Arctos to our ownership group as a limited partner," Blank said in the club's statement. He thanked Byron Trott and BDT & MSD Partners for advising the process.

Blank still owns 73 percent of the franchise. Other limited partners listed by the team include Brian Barker, Rosalind Brewer, Ron Canakaris, Dominique Dawes, Warrick Dunn, Doug Hertz, Alan Kestenbaum, Edward Mendel, Will Packer, Derek Smith and Rashaun Williams.

Arctos, founded in 2019 and acquired by KKR in 2026, is the only firm approved for multiteam ownership across the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS, according to the Falcons. NBC Sports reported that a full 10 percent stake in the club had previously been tied to a $10.6 billion valuation. Under league rules, approved private-equity funds can hold up to 10 percent of a team and cannot vote.

What it means for RSO owners

The Falcons sale is another PE foothold inside the NFL ownership table, next to stakes Arctos already holds elsewhere in the league. Cap and roster rules do not change with a limited partner. Watch whether the second 2.5 percent clears a later owners meeting, and how Blank uses the cash outside football operations.