NFL Owners Continue Expansion Into Soccer

While the owners continue to rake in money, it doesn't always come in as a lump sum but their roster expenditures often do.

So, considering recent news that New York Jets owner Woody Johnson is purchasing a 43% stake in Crystal Palace football club, a professional soccer team in London, England, one must ask if the owners of the NFL, with many having ownership stakes in European Soccer, especially in England, will use the liquid cash they make to supplement their rosters in the NFL.

Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke has several buisness stakes in sports, including Arsenal Football Club. Jaguars owner Shad Khan owns Fulham Football Club, Buccaneers owners The Glazers have an ownership stake in Manchester United (which they're currently selling off)

Commanders owner Josh Harris has invested into Crystal Palace, the 49ers company, 49ers Enterprises own Leeds United, and there has been continual investment into English Football, which NFL affiliated individuals buying up teams across the country, even in lower leagues, hoping that they advance to the top league (Premier League) where the last place team in the Premier League will earn about $150 million in broadcasting rights alone.

J.J. Watt has ownership stakes in Burnley and Tom Brady owns a minority stake in Birmingham City. Brady also became a minority owner with the Las Vegas Raiders.

We are now reaching a point where Jordan Love's record-breaking signing bonuses of $75 million will become the norm. NFL teams need to have that money, all of it, liquidized and in an escrow account in order to complete contract extensions.

As crazy as this sounds, there are cash poor owners in the NFL and $75 million to be placed in an account isn't as easy as one may think. Especially if a team has to extend or sign multiple players.

In the same breath, for people like Brady or Watt, they can use their ownership stakes to help finance bids to pick up stakes within the NFL.

With each passing day, the finances of the NFL and the EPL (Premier League) continue to be intertwined to the point that owners will use their sports properties to benefit their brother property across the pond in a way that may lead to changes within the NFL.