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NFL franchises are some of the most valuable individual businesses in the entire world. All 32 NFL teams are valued at over $2 billion each, with the average valuation of each team currently exceeding $4 billion. The collective total value of all 32 franchises combined is estimated at around $132 billion.
Every franchise is worth billions, including 16 that are worth more than $4 billion. Some, however, are worth more than others. That includes these five that are currently valued at more than $5 billion, making them the most valuable franchises in the NFL. All valuations are estimated based on data collected by Sportico prior to the start of the 2022 NFL season.
#5 - San Francisco 49ers - $5.18 billion
Edward DeBartolo Sr. purchased the San Francisco 49ers in 1977 for $13 million. He passed away in 1994. His son Edward DeBartolo Jr. took over as the principal owner of the team, contolling a 90 percent stake. He held his position for about seven years before passing it on to his sister Denise York.
Denise York and her husband, John York, are the co-chairs of 49ers enterprises, which they founded to be the controlling corporation of their 90 percent owenrship share. Their son, Jed York, currently serves as the CEO of the 49ers franchise.
#4 - New York Giants - $5.73 billion
Tim Mara founded the New York Giants in 1925 in the early days of the NFL with a $500 investment. The team is now worth more than $5 billion, more than ten million times his initial investment.
Giants' ownership has passed down through three generations. Fifty percent of the team is still in the Mara family, owned by John Mara. The other 50 percent is owned by Steve Tisch, who inherited his share from his father Bob Tisch, who purchased the stake in 1990.
#3 - New England Patriots - $5.88 billion
Billy Sullivan founded the New England Patriots franchise in 1960 and owned the team for 27 years until 1987 when he was forced to sell. Ownership changed hands three times over the next seven years until Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994 for $172 million.
The Patriots under Kraft are the most successful dynasty in NFL history, appearing in ten Super Bowls and winning six of them. Their massive success has played a huge role in them becoming one of the three most valuable franchises in the league and developing a passionate and supportive fan base along the way.
#2 - Los Angeles Rams - $5.91 billion
Stan Kroenke first purchased a 30 percent share of the Los Angeles Rams in 1995 from Georgia Frontiere, the second female in NFL history to ever own a team. Kroenke was instrumental in moving the Rams to St. Louis, which is why Frontiere sold him a piece of the team in the first place.
Kroenke bought out the remainder of the Rams 15 years later in 2010 at a valuation of $750 million. He has grown his investment by nearly eight times its value in just over a decade as the full owner of the franchise. He also moved them out of St. Louis, where he first brought them, and into Los Angeles.
#1 - Dallas Cowboys - $7.64 billion
The Dallas Cowboys are in a league of their own when it comes to valuations. They are the only NFL team worth more than $6 billion, while holding a valuation that is nearing an incredible $8 billion. They are not only the most valuable NFL franchise, but the most valuable sports team in the entire world.
Jerry Jones purchased the Cowboys in 1989 for $140 million and has multiplied his investment by nearly 55 times in over 30 years of ownership. His brilliant business mindset has also helped the NFL as a whole reach new levels of valuation and profitability with his innovative ideas.
