From the top dogs of New York and LA to the Jerry Jones industrial complex in Big D, let’s dive into the numbers to settle who the most valuable NFL franchises really are.
No investment is foolproof. There are no guarantees. There are no sure things — if you have a problem with that, take it up with the giant robot at the center of the earth that controls capitalism.
That said, buying a stake in a National Football League franchise might just be the closest thing to a set-it-and-forget it cash cow.
Even a global pandemic couldn’t stop this train. Thanks the unprecedented heft of the league’s broadcast and streaming deals combined with a salary cap that prevents roster spending at galaxy brain levels, profits are all but guaranteed. Guaranteed! Think about that for a second. Go ahead, think about it.
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Yes, all these implications got us thinking: Who ultimately stands alone atop the mountain of NFL team valuations? This penthouse only has room for one, so does that mean Jerry Jones and Co. by default, or are there competitors in, say, New York and Los Angeles ready to stake their claim?
Well, thanks to a Forbes report led by Mike Ozanian and Justin Teitelbaum, we have a new, gaudy snapshot of just how powerfully pro football franchises have evolved as investment assets — and who’s the biggest winner of all.
Check out the latest list of the most valuable NFL teams below.
Most Valuable NFL Teams: The Top 10 of 2023
Numbers via Forbes’ Most Valuable NFL Teams report published Aug. 30, 2023. “YoY %” refers to a team valuation’s growth compared to Forbes’ 2022 report.
| TEAM | VALUATION | YoY % |
| 1. Dallas Cowboys | $9B | +13% |
| 2. New England Patriots | $7B | +9% |
| 3. Los Angeles Rams | $6.9B | +11% |
| 4. New York Giants | $6.8B | +13% |
| 5. Chicago Bears | $6.3B | +9% |
| 6. Las Vegas Raiders | $6.2B | +22% |
| 7. New York Jets | $6.1B | +13% |
| 8. Washington Commanders | $6.05B | +8% |
| 9. San Francisco 49ers | $6B | +15% |
| 10. Philadelphia Eagles | $5.8B | +18% |
Most Valuable NFL Franchises: 11-20
| 11. Miami Dolphins | $5.7B | +24% |
| 12. Houston Texans | $5.5B | +17% |
| 13. Denver Broncos | $5.1B | +10% |
| 14. Seattle Seahawks | $5B | +11% |
| 15. Atlanta Falcons | $4.7B | +18% |
| 16. Minnesota Vikings | $4.65B | +18% |
| 17. Baltimore Ravens | $4.63B | +19% |
| 18. Pittsburgh Steelers | $4.63B | +16% |
| 19. Cleveland Browns | $4.62B | +20% |
| 20. Green Bay Packers | $4.6B | +8% |
Most Valuable NFL Teams: 21-32
| 21. Tennessee Titans | $4.4B | +26% |
| 22. Indianapolis Colts | $4.35B | +14% |
| 23. Kansas City Chiefs | $4.3B | +16% |
| 24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $4.2B | +14% |
| 25. Los Angeles Chargers | $4.15B | +7% |
| 26. Carolina Panthers | $4.1B | +14% |
| 27. New Orleans Saints | $4.08B | +14% |
| 28. Jacksonville Jaguars | $4B | +15% |
| 29. Arizona Cardinals | $3.8B | +16% |
| 30. Buffalo Bills | $3.7B | +9% |
| 31. Detroit Lions | $3.6B | +18% |
| 32. Cincinnati Bengals | $3.5B | +17% |
Additional NFL Team Valuation Facts
- The average NFL team is now worth just over $5.1 billion.
- The combined valuations of all 32 NFL teams equal $163 billion. Forbes notes that this is nearly as much as every NBA and MLB team combined.
- The Washington Commanders’ $6.05 billion sale to Josh Harris’s investor group is the most expensive sports team acquisition on record as of this writing and contributed to 8% growth in the team’s year-over-year valuation.
- Per Forbes, the Dallas Cowboys lapped the field in generating over $1.1 billion in revenue during the 2022 NFL season. No other team exceeded the Las Vegas Raiders’ $729 million.
- The Tennessee Titans’ valuation experienced the largest year-over-year increase in the league — 26%.
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