Robert Kraft is cashing in on the New England Patriots.

According to the Sports Business Journal, the Patriots are planning to divest an 8% stake in the franchise to two different groups. One of them is the investment firm Sixth Street, which is acquiring 3% at the Pats’ estimated valuation of $9 billion. Dean Metropoulos of the Metropoulus & Co. firm is expected to acquire the other 5%.

Sixth Street should sound familiar to New England-area sports fans. They are a “major participant” in the investment group led by Bill Chisholm that recently purchased the Boston Celtics for up to $7.3 billion. Chisholm is not involved in the deal with the Patriots.

The 3% sale to Sixth Street appears to be the first step of a “larger plan” by Kraft. He has “no intention of relinquishing control” of the club, according to SBJ. The report also states that the Krafts are “not taking money off the table, and will hold the proceeds on the balance sheet for future opportunities.”

So, if they do take this infusion of money, roughly $720 million, and re-invest it in the franchise, the hope for fans is that an appreciable amount goes toward bolstering the football operation. The team is 9-28 on the field dating back to the start of the 2023 season, and have notoriously operated with smaller front office operations than other clubs. The football side of the organization may need to grow in order to truly compete at a high level in the league once again.

This deal between the Krafts and the new investors in the Patriots is part of the NFL’s new policy that allows private equity firms to buy stakes in teams. SBJ expects the Patriots deal to be approved at the NFL’s next league meeting on Oct. 21-22 in New York.

Matt, a North Andover, Massachusetts native, has been with The Sports Hub since 2010. Growing up the son of Boston University All-American and Melrose High School hall-of-fame hockey player Steve Dolloff, sports was always a part of his life. After attending Northeastern University, Matt focused his love of sports on writing, extensively writing about all four major Boston teams. He also is a co-host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast and is a regular on-air contributor on the Sports Hub. Matt writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.