Fact Check: Has Mr Beast Purchased NFL? $1B Rich YouTuber Announces Big News For Chiefs vs. Chargers

What costs more? An NFL team or a YouTube empire? Presently, according to Forbes, the average NFL franchise value sits at $7.1 billion. Jimmy Donaldson, aka Mr Beast, has built a $1 billion fortune by giving away cars, planes, and cash online. In one world, billionaires buy football teams. In the other, a YouTuber buys the entire league. Only in 2025 could those two storylines ever overlap.

Think about this. The NFL streams on YouTube this week. Chiefs vs. Chargers. Billions of dollars behind one of America’s biggest leagues. And then there’s Mr Beast, the guy who can crash the internet with a single sentence. Because when he says something wild, people don’t just scroll. They stop, wonder if he actually pulled it off, and then they argue about it all over the internet. That’s exactly what happened today.

This week, right before the Sept. 5 stream on YouTube, the league’s first free, globally exclusive regular-season broadcast, Mr Beast posted something that flipped social media into chaos. He dropped an Instagram update claiming, “I Bought the NFL and put YouTubers on each team ahead of the Chargers vs Chiefs game being streamed on YouTube on September 5th!” 

The post came stacked with two photos and four videos. The photos bookending the carousel had Donaldson and commissioner Roger Goodell standing side-by-side behind a podium, like this was a real press conference. Then came the videos. In one, Mr Beast sat in a mock “draft” board room, FaceTiming creator Haley Baylee. “How’s it going? I own the NFL now, what do you need?” he asks. Haley shouts back: “Jimmy dibs on the Vikings. Go Vikings, I have played this game. Go Vikings, all hail your name.” Donaldson turns to Goodell: “Put her on,” as the commissioner sticks Haley’s name tag on Minnesota’s board.

Other clips showcased internet stars pairing up with NFL faces. IShowSpeed linked up with Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill. Céline Dept is seen booting a football. Marlon Lundgren Garcia appeared alongside Chargers safety Derwin James Jr., but here’s a fact check: Did Mr Beast actually buy the NFL? No, he didn’t. The league’s September 5 stream from São Paulo, Brazil, Chiefs vs. Chargers, is history-making. The post was just to create hype about the same. Think of it this way: imagine a league where every touchdown came with a briefcase of cash, halftime shows turned into live challenges, and losing coaches got slimed. That’s the Beast-style parody he’s selling.

But underneath the jokes is a serious positioning. This game marks the NFL’s first regular-season stream airing free worldwide on YouTube. Chiefs president Mark Donovan even framed it directly: “This partnership not only highlights the excitement of opening the season in Brazil but also allows us to connect with fans globally through a platform that’s transforming how people experience live sports.” Or as Wes Harris from YouTube put it, “This is more than a game; it’s the future of football, and it’s open for everyone around the world to enjoy for free on YouTube.”

Clearly, Mr Beast knows one thing: mix football with creators, and you get maximum clicks. And on the eve of one of YouTube’s biggest NFL broadcasts, that’s the entire point. And speaking of broadcasts, there’s another legend YouTube wanted but couldn’t get.

Jason Kelce shut out of YouTube’s game

Jason Kelce was nearly in the mix. The platform asked ESPN to make the Monday Night Countdown analyst available for its Chiefs–Chargers production in Brazil. ESPN’s answer: no shot. According to Front Office Sports, the network blocked the move under its policy preventing talent from appearing on games streamed by YouTube or Netflix.

That stance wasn’t built overnight. Legacy broadcasters are putting up fences as streaming giants circle NFL rights. Fox lent Greg Olsen to Netflix for last year’s Christmas games but pulled back this season. ESPN is playing the same game by keeping its faces off YouTube’s broadcast, even if that means the league’s first exclusive stream can’t feature a marketable name like Kelce.

It forced YouTube into a workaround. NBC is producing the game, but YouTube pieced together a roster that feels native to its platform. Deestroying will join NFL Network’s Stacey Dales on the sidelines. Rich Eisen and Kurt Warner headline the call, with Kay Adams anchoring a studio show alongside Cam Newton, Derek Carr, Brandon Marshall, and Tyrann Mathieu. Add iShowSpeed hosting a “Watch With” stream for his 43 million subscribers, and you get a football broadcast built for YouTube, not cable TV. Kelce would’ve been a perfect bridge – Kansas City ties, Eagles legend, YouTube savvy. But ESPN slammed the door, and YouTube will just have to prove it can win headlines without him.