Let’s Take a Look at Robert Kraft's Net Worth

We regret to inform you that Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, did not make his money from a delicious mac and cheese empire. Does he have a ton of cheddar? Yes, but we don't mean literally. Sadly he is not sitting on a mountain of golden powdered cheese, just gold coins.

Robert has been in the NFL team owner game since 1994 when he purchased the Patriots for a cool $172 million. What a bargain! At that point, the team that would go on to win six Super Bowls hadn't even snagged a single Lombardi trophy, and they wouldn't do so for another eight years. So, how does someone get the scratch needed to buy an entire football team? Let's take a look at Robert Kraft's net worth.

According to Forbes, Robert is worth $11.8 billion. The team he bought for $172 million is now worth $6 billion. That's a far cry from Robert's first job selling newspapers outside of the old Braves Stadium in Boston, Mass. when he was just a kid. From there he ended up at Columbia University on an academic scholarship and briefly dipped his toes into politics.

By this time, he was already five years into his relationship with the woman who would become his first wife. Knowing how a career in politics can destroy one's privacy, he left that world in favor of the corporate world. Robert began working at the Rand-Whitney Group, a packaging company run by his father-in-law. In 1968, he gained control via a buyout and is still the chairman to this day. Four years after the takeover, Robert started a company that trades physical paper commodities.

When it came time to diversify his portfolio even further, Robert started the Kraft Group which was used as an umbrella for all of his little company projects. That included but was not limited to investing in the New England Television Corp. and gaining control of a channel that soon became WNEV-TV. After becoming president of the corporation in 1986, Robert sold his shares in 1991 for $25 million.

Before he bought the Patriots, Robert became part owner of the Boston Lobsters tennis team, but they folded. That's when the opportunity to buy the New England Patriots presented itself. He founded and subsequently owns the New England Revolution soccer team. He is also one heck of a philanthropist and has donated to various colleges, an organization devoted to helping kids get access to healthcare, and several Jewish nonprofit organizations.

Robert has been very vocal about antisemitism and even stopped donating to Columbia University in April 2024 during the Israel protests from students. "I am deeply saddened at the virulent hate that continues to grow on campus and throughout our country," he said. " I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken."