Jessica Pegula’s conversation about life after tennis was a very concrete one, with the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres both mentioned by name. In the CNBC Sport episode with Alex Sherman, published on October 1, 2026, she said she is considering taking a bigger role in her family’s sports franchises. They also discussed her The Players’ Box podcast and her off-court projects.

Helping the teams is one option

Pegula was not talking about a specific job title, but about the possibility of one day helping the organization. Yahoo Sports and AOL, in their summaries of the CNBC Sport interview, highlighted exactly this part of the conversation.

“I can’t say that wouldn’t be exciting if I got to help out with the organization one day.”, Jessica Pegula on CNBC Sport, quoted by AOL and Yahoo Sports on October 1, 2026.api.tennis

In the same interview, Jessica noted that her father, in her view, would like to keep the teams in the family. She was referring to long-term family succession, not the sale of the assets. Yahoo Sports described her stance as a willingness to take on a possible future role with the Bills and Sabres.

Her mother advised her to finish tennis first

There is a backstory to this conversation. In a The Players’ Tribune piece that Sabres.com published on February 7, 2023, Pegula had already spoken about her mother’s desire to bring her into the family business. At the same time, Kim Pegula advised her daughter not to rush and to finish her tennis career first.

“My mom always wanted me to be involved… She always told me to wait until after tennis was done.”, Jessica Pegula in The Players’ Tribune, published on Sabres.com on February 7, 2023.api.tennis

The family’s sporting story began earlier: Terry and Kim Pegula acquired the Buffalo Sabres in February 2011. The agreement to purchase the Buffalo Bills was announced in September 2014, and on October 8 NFL owners unanimously approved the deal, NFL.com reported. In 2018, Kim became the first woman to serve as president of both NHL and NFL clubs at the same time.

The business structure has changed since then. According to the Buffalo Sabres, on August 28, 2023 Terry Pegula announced the dissolution of Pegula Sports & Entertainment and took over as Sabres president. The Bills and Sabres began operating as separate organizations. And on June 23, 2026, the Bills officially opened the new Highmark Stadium: according to NFL.com, the project cost about $2.1 billion.

Her voice off court

The family clubs are not the only subject on which Pegula goes beyond tennis results. Along with Madison Keys, Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk, she hosts The Players’ Box. The podcast launched at the 2025 US Open and comes out weekly: its format grew out of a group chat among friends and is built around behind-the-scenes Tour talk.

In a WTA piece dated February 15, 2026, Pegula admitted she had not expected The Players’ Box to become so popular, especially in China. Two days later, WTA announced another role for her: Jessica became chair of the Tour Architecture Council, the working group on calendar reform.

Another of her projects is connected to dogs. Pegula, co-founder of A Lending Paw, is involved in a foundation that rescues dogs and supports service-animal training. On August 27, 2026, The Farmer’s Dog announced a multi-year partnership with the tennis player: the joint program supports the foundation’s initiatives.

“My dogs are family, so giving them the best care possible has always been incredibly important to me.”, Jessica Pegula in a The Farmer’s Dog press release on August 27, 2026.api.tennis

For now, tennis remains the focus

Talk of the next chapter in her career comes against the backdrop of a busy season. In 2026, Pegula has 49 wins, one title and four finals. In August she reached the Cincinnati final, and in September she advanced to the US Open semifinal, where she lost to Sabalenka.

Her next tennis stop is the China Open in Beijing, which runs from September 30 to October 11: Pegula is listed as the No. 3 seed in the entry list. The full conversation about her projects and family business is available in the CNBC Sport episode on Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.