ORLANDO, Fla. — In a transactional move designed to keep the 49ers in the York family for generations, Jed York is set to take over as the NFL franchise's principal owner.
York will buy enough equity from his mother, Denise DeBartolo York, to become the principal owner, with approval expected from the league’s other owners at the NFL Annual Meeting, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area on Monday.
Sports Business Journal's Ben Fischer first reported news of the impending title change.
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York, 43, will continue as the 49ers’ CEO, a position he has held since 2010, when he began overseeing the football and business sides of the organization.
His parents, Denise and John York, continue to be significant 49ers shareholders. Forbes valued the franchise at $6 billion in 2023.
While it isn't known how much of the 49ers Jed York will own, the family holds more than 95 percent of the franchise, per SBJ.
The 49ers have five Super Bowl titles in their trophy case, each of which was earned during the ownership of Edward J. DeBartolo Jr., brother of Denise York.
San Francisco 49ers
DeBartolo stepped down as chair and CEO of the 49ers in 1997 in anticipation of a gambling fraud indictment in Louisiana. The following year, DeBartolo pleaded guilty in federal court to a felony charge of failing to report an extortion attempt. Louisiana's former governor, Edwin Edwards, allegedly extorted $400,000 from DeBartolo to be granted a casino license.
DeBartolo never regained control of the 49ers, and Denise York took over the team in a 2000 settlement in which the siblings divided their assets.
Then-President Donald Trump pardoned DeBartolo Jr. in 2020.
The 49ers have won six NFC West titles and appeared in three Super Bowls since the Yorks took control of the franchise. They're coming off a season in which they fell to the Kansas City Chiefs, 25-22, in overtime of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.
With coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch leading the 49ers since 2017, the franchise has established its most stability at the top of the organization in nearly 30 years.
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