The Cincinnati Bengals are owned and controlled by Mike Brown and the Brown family, who hold roughly 97% of the franchise.

Who owns the Bengals?

  • Primary owner: Mike Brown is listed as the owner of the Cincinnati Bengals and has been in control of the team since 1991, when he took over after the death of his father, legendary coach and team co-founder Paul Brown.
  • Family ownership: The Brown family gradually bought out nearly all minority partners; by around 2011 their stake had increased from about 57% to 97%, making the franchise essentially a family-run operation.
  • No major outside partners: Coverage of Bengals ownership consistently refers to Mike Brown and the Brown family as the controlling (and effectively sole significant) owners, rather than a broad group of corporate or private-equity investors.

Quick timeline

  1. Team founded in the late 1960s with Paul Brown as co-founder and controlling figure.
  1. Mike Brown worked in the front office from the beginning and assumed ownership and day-to-day control in 1991.
  1. Through buyouts of other shareholders (notably the large stake held by Austin “Dutch” Knowlton), the Brown family’s ownership rose to about 97% by 2011.
  1. As of the mid‑2020s, public reporting and team references still list Mike Brown as owner of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Mini forum-style note

In fan discussions, you’ll often see people talk less about “who owns the Bengals” and more about “the Brown family” as a whole, because the franchise is operated as a tightly held, family-run business with Mike Brown at the top.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.