Clearly, internationally adored soccer clubs, sizable NBA franchises, and well-known MLB teams are some of the most valuable sports organizations on the planet. The National Football League (NFL), however, perhaps boasts the most expensive teams in the entire world.
In June 2022, the Denver Broncos sold for $4.65 billion, a record for the most expensive team purchase. But if other teams were to sell, they’d potentially command an even greater price tag.
Which teams, and conferences, reigned supreme in value? This graphic post made use of ideas by Truman Du who used data from Forbes last calculated in August 2022 to show the most valuable NFL teams.
Note that Forbes evaluated enterprise values—total club ownership plus net debt—and took into account each team’s revenue from stadiums to determine team values. This includes non-NFL income that goes to the owners of each team, but it excludes the value of the stadium’s real estate.
The findings? NFL teams continue to become more valuable, rising in 2022 to an average of $4.47 billion, an increase of 28% year-over-year.
Take a look at the top 10 most valuable NFL Teams in 2022
Rank NFL Team Value (Aug 2022)
1 Dallas Cowboys $8.00B
2 New England Patriots $6.40B
3 Los Angeles Rams $6.20B
4 New York Giants $6.00B
5 Chicago Bears $5.80B
6 Washington Commanders $5.60B
7 New York Jets $5.40B
8 San Francisco 49ers $5.20B
9 Las Vegas Raiders $5.10B
10 Philadelphia Eagles $4.90B
At the top of the rankings, the Dallas Cowboys sit at an estimated valuation of $8 billion, making them the most valuable sports team in the world.
They were the first team to generate over $1 billion in annual revenue thanks to massive sponsorship deals, including an estimated $220 million in stadium advertising and sponsorship revenue.
This is especially impressive considering that just over 70% of football-related revenue is actually split among NFL teams. According to Forbes, the Cowboys have had the most success leveraging their stadium and brand to increase outside revenue.
The National Football League is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference.
