All 32 franchises, ranked. The headline marks above are Sportico's 2026 NFL valuations, published August 2026. The full ranked table below is held at the Forbes 2025 vintage on purpose — that is the only dataset that carries revenue and operating income per club, and blending two publishers' models inside one table produces a number no reader can trace. Both vintages are labeled wherever they appear.
Source: Forbes, The NFL's Most Valuable Teams 2025, by Justin Teitelbaum and Brett Knight. Published August 28, 2025; updated November 10, 2025. Forbes original article →
What the Institute adds: a single ranked table with rank change, revenue, and operating income beside each valuation, so a reader can see the whole league in one view. Every number is Forbes'. The Institute's contribution is the aggregation.
What the reader should know: the value, rank and year-over-year columns are Sportico's, published August 12, 2026; the revenue and operating income columns are carried forward at their Forbes 2025 vintage because Sportico's release does not restate them, and the column headers say so. Sportico's figures blend team-level financials with market, stadium, real-estate and brand value. They are estimates, not audited disclosures — no NFL team (except the Green Bay Packers) publishes audited financial statements.
Standardization note. Every one of the 32 individual team pages linked from this table carries the same 20-line Standard NFL Financial Schema — 11 revenue lines, 7 expense lines, 3 enterprise-value derivation lines. The same order on every team page. A reader can flip from Cowboys to Rams to Patriots and read the same schema in the same sequence. That line-by-line comparability is the core practitioner utility of this section.
| # | Team | State | Value Sportico, pub. Aug 12 2026 |
YoY vs Sportico 2025 |
Revenue Forbes 2025 vintage |
Op. Income Forbes 2025 vintage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas Cowboys | Texas | $15.50B | +21% | $1.234B | $629M |
| 2 | Los Angeles Rams | California | $12.70B | +22% | $764M | $244M |
| 3 | New York Giants † | New Jersey | $12.00B $10.25B 2025 Koch minority | +17% | $707M | $181M |
| 4 | New England Patriots † | Massachusetts | $10.40B $9.0B Oct 2025 pre-money | +19% | $762M | $222M |
| 5 | New York Jets | New Jersey | $10.35B | +28% | $663M | $180M |
| 6 | Philadelphia Eagles | Pennsylvania | $10.31B | +22% | $688M | $117M |
| 7 | Miami Dolphins † | Florida | $10.25B $12.5B Mar 2026, Ross portfolio not club | +24% | $656M | $63M |
| 8 | San Francisco 49ers | California | $10.21B | +19% | $723M | $115M |
| 9 | Las Vegas Raiders † | Nevada | $10.10B $9.90B May 2026 25% block | +28% | $832M | $179M |
| 10 | Atlanta Falcons † | Georgia | $9.78B $10.60B Aug 2026 txn | +39% | $612M | $37M |
| 11 | Washington Commanders | Maryland | $9.64B | +30% | $644M | $116M |
| 12 | Seattle Seahawks † | Washington | $9.61B $9.612B Jul 2026 sale, approved Aug 26 | +46% | $624M | $143M |
| 13 | Houston Texans | Texas | $9.52B | +33% | $687M | $156M |
| 14 | Chicago Bears | Illinois | $9.45B | +27% | $629M | $80M |
| 15 | Denver Broncos | Colorado | $9.18B | +40% | $645M | $103M |
| 16 | Kansas City Chiefs | Missouri | $8.74B | +34% | $610M | $66M |
| 17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Pennsylvania | $8.70B | +34% | $619M | $137M |
| 18 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Florida | $8.68B | +34% | $629M | $130M |
| 19 | Los Angeles Chargers | California | $8.65B | +39% | $593M | $105M |
| 20 | Tennessee Titans | Tennessee | $8.62B | +39% | $582M | $93M |
| 21 | Cleveland Browns † | Ohio | $8.60B $9B+ 2026 Arctos minority | +40% | $685M | $90M |
| 22 | Green Bay Packers | Wisconsin | $8.59B | +33% | $719M | $83M |
| 23 | Minnesota Vikings | Minnesota | $8.26B | +32% | $609M | $70M |
| 24 | Baltimore Ravens | Maryland | $8.20B | +37% | $621M | $115M |
| 25 | Buffalo Bills | New York | $8.13B | +39% | $585M | $104M |
| 26 | Carolina Panthers | North Carolina | $8.07B | +40% | $588M | $36M |
| 27 | Detroit Lions | Michigan | $8.02B | +36% | $585M | $21M |
| 28 | Arizona Cardinals | Arizona | $8.00B | +41% | $571M | $62M |
| 29 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Florida | $7.91B | +42% | $552M | $106M |
| 30 | Indianapolis Colts | Indiana | $7.77B | +36% | $593M | $109M |
| 31 | New Orleans Saints | Louisiana | $7.59B | +35% | $607M | $115M |
| 32 | Cincinnati Bengals | Ohio | $7.40B | +35% | $573M | $50M |
Team names link to individual Institute team pages, which include ownership, stadium finance, and salary cap detail. Not all team pages are live yet — the Institute is building the set. Cowboys, Packers, Rams, Eagles, Seahawks, Ravens, Raiders, and Chargers pages are complete; the remaining 24 pages are being built out through 2026.
Rows are sorted by the displayed value. Where a franchise has a completed or league-approved-pending ownership transaction since the Forbes 2025 mark was published, the transaction value is shown in the value column (labeled “(sale)” or “(txn)”) and the row is sorted at that mark. The Forbes 2025 mark for those franchises is disclosed in the “Recent Ownership Transactions” callout below. Revenue and operating-income columns remain at Forbes 2025 team-operating financials in every row.
† The August 2026 agreement for Arctos Partners to acquire a 10% minority stake in the Falcons prices the franchise at an enterprise value of $10.6 billion — 67% above the Forbes 2025 mark of $6.35B. The stake funds in two tranches over roughly 18 months and requires an NFL owners’ vote, expected October 2026. See the “Recent NFL Ownership Transactions” callout below.
† The May 2026 25.3% minority-stake transaction to the Egon Durban / Michael Meldman / Michael Dell group implied a Raiders enterprise value of $9.9 billion — 29% above the Forbes 2025 mark of $7.70B. See the "Recent NFL Ownership Transactions" callout below for the full picture.
The Forbes ranking above tells you what the franchise itself is worth. The book’s Tier 1/2/3 tables tell you what the family enterprise sitting behind the franchise is worth — the residual private holdings, the operating companies, the public-market positions, and the real-estate portfolios that most family offices treat as the material assets in the estate. For several families, the franchise is a small fraction of the family balance sheet; for others, the franchise is essentially the whole thing. The distinction is decisive for how each family answers the next-generation succession question.
| Ch | Franchise · Ownership | Franchise Sportico, pub. Aug 12 2026 | Ownership group | Family enterprise base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cowboys · Jerry Jones | $15.50B | $18–21B | Arkansas oil family; five-legged: franchise, AT&T Stadium ecosystem + Frisco Star real estate, Legends Hospitality, Comstock Resources (NYSE: CRK), residuals. |
| 2 | Rams · Stan Kroenke | $12.70B | $22–26B | Ann Walton (Bud Walton branch of Walmart) + SoFi/Hollywood Park + Nuggets/Avalanche/Rapids + Arsenal FC + Kroenke Ranches (1.6M acres). |
| 3 | Patriots · Robert Kraft | $10.40B | $15–18B | Boston paper/packaging (Rand-Whitney + International Forest Products) + Revolution + Gillette Stadium + Patriot Place. Jonathan Kraft as successor. |
| 4 | Giants · Mara / Tisch | $12.00B | $12–16B | Mara since 1925 ($500 franchise buy). Tisch since 1991 (Loews Corp NYSE: L). Julia Koch minority at $10.25B implied EV in 2025. |
| 5 | 49ers · York / DeBartolo | $10.21B | $9–11B | DeBartolo mall-and-real-estate fortune (Youngstown, OH). Third-generation Jed York now runs. Family holdings largely concentrated in franchise now. |
| 6 | Bears · McCaskey / Halas | $9.45B | $9–11B | Founding NFL family (Halas, 1920). Grandchildren control via family trust. Highly concentrated. Arlington Heights concept ongoing. |
| 7 | Jets · Woody Johnson | $10.35B | $11–14B | Johnson & Johnson heir (Robert Wood Johnson IV). J&J equity is the largest single leg. Chris Johnson runs day-to-day. |
| 8 | Commanders · Josh Harris group | $9.64B | $25–35B | Apollo co-founder Harris (~$8–10B) + Mitchell Rales (Danaher, ~$5–7B) + Magic Johnson + LPs. 2023 buy from Snyder at $6.05B set then-record. |
| 9 | Broncos · Walton-Penner | $9.18B | $400B+ family | Rob Walton (Walmart heir, ~$66–73B) leads; Greg & Carrie Walton Penner. Broader Walton family across all branches exceeds $400B. |
| 10 | Dolphins · Stephen Ross | $10.25B | $11–15B | Related Companies (Hudson Yards + national real estate). Personal $10–13B. Hard Rock + Miami Grand Prix. 1%+ minority to Bin Lin, NFL-approved March 2026. |
| Ch | Franchise · Ownership | Franchise Sportico, pub. Aug 12 2026 | Ownership group | Family enterprise base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Eagles · Jeffrey Lurie | $10.31B | $10–12B | Independent film/TV (Harcourt Brace/General Cinema). Bought 1994 for $185M. Lincoln Financial Field. Long-tenured, low-drama. |
| 12 | Texans · McNair family | $9.52B | $9–11B | Bob McNair (Cogen Technologies, sold to Enron 1999) founding owner. Son Cal runs. Trust-controlled succession. Foundation architecture material. |
| 13 | Seahawks · Khosla family | $9.612B* | $8–11B | *Jul 2026 agreement to sell from the Paul G. Allen Trust at $9.612B — largest sports franchise transaction in history once ratified. Neeru Khosla controlling; Vinod (Sun/Khosla Ventures). |
| 14 | Packers · publicly owned | $8.59B | N/A | The one true anomaly: nonprofit publicly-owned corporation, 5M+ shareholders. Chartered 1923. Only reliable public NFL team-level financials. |
| 15 | Ravens · Bisciotti family | $8.20B | $7–9B | Steve Bisciotti built Aerotek staffing empire (Allegis Group, family-controlled). Bought in stages from Modell family, completed 2004. |
| 16 | Steelers · Rooney family | $8.70B | $7–9B | Rooneys since Art Sr. founded in 1933. Multi-generational, multi-branch. Art Rooney II as chairman. Highly concentrated in the franchise. |
| 17 | Chiefs · Hunt family | $8.74B | $8–10B | Founding AFL family (Lamar Hunt). H.L. Hunt oil-and-gas. Clark Hunt runs. Broader Ray Hunt/Placid Oil branches materially larger. Moving to Kansas 2031. |
| 18 | Falcons · Arthur Blank | $10.60B* | $11–15B | *Aug 2026 10% stake to Arctos Partners implied $10.6B EV; two tranches, NFL vote expected Oct 2026. Blank retains just under 73%. Home Depot co-founder; bought 2002 for $545M. Mercedes-Benz Stadium + Atlanta United + PGA Tour Superstore + Family Foundation $2.5B+. |
| 19 | Vikings · Wilf family | $8.26B | $7–9B | Real estate development (Garden Homes / Garden Commercial Properties, largest privately-held mid-Atlantic operator). Zygi Wilf bought 2005. |
| 20 | Chargers · Spanos family | $8.65B | $4–6B | Alex Spanos built A.G. Spanos Construction (large apartment developer). Son Dean runs. Purchased 1984, relocated to LA 2017. SoFi tenant. |
| Ch | Franchise · Ownership | Franchise Sportico, pub. Aug 12 2026 | Ownership group | Family enterprise base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Titans · Adams (Strunk) | $8.62B | $6–8B | K.S. “Bud” Adams founded Houston Oilers 1959 with Texas oil (Adams Resources & Energy, family-controlled). Amy Adams Strunk controlling. New stadium 2027. |
| 22 | Colts · Irsay family | $7.77B | $6–7B estate | Robert Irsay bought Baltimore Colts 1972; relocated Indianapolis 1984. Jim Irsay ran 1997; his three daughters (Carlie, Casey, Kalen) now share leadership. |
| 23 | Saints · Benson trust | $7.59B | $6–8B | Tom Benson New Orleans automotive (Benson Automotive). Bought 1985. Trust-controlled with Gayle Benson (widow) as controlling owner. Saints + Pelicans. |
| 24 | Jaguars · Shad Khan | $7.91B | $13–15B | Flex-N-Gate (automotive parts, largest privately-held US supplier). Personal $12–14B. Bought 2011. Fulham FC. EverBank “Stadium of the Future” $1.4B. |
| 25 | Bills · Pegula family | $8.13B | $11–14B | PA natural gas (East Resources, sold to Shell $4.7B in 2010). Bought 2014. Sabres (NHL) + HarborCenter. New Highmark 2026 (+42% Forbes 2025 — largest YoY). |
| 26 | Cardinals · Bidwill | $8.00B | $5–6B | Founding NFL family (Charles Bidwill Sr., 1932). Longest continuous family ownership after Halas/McCaskeys. Michael Bidwill runs. Concentrated. |
| 27 | Panthers · David Tepper | $8.07B | $21–23B | Appaloosa Management founder (hedge fund). Personal $20–22B. Bought 2018 for $2.275B. Charlotte FC. BofA Stadium reno $1.3B. Franchise a small fraction of personal. |
| 28 | Browns · Haslam family | $8.60B | $18–22B | Pilot Flying J (Berkshire acquired 80% across 2017 + 2023). Haslams retain ~20%. Bought 2012. Columbus Crew. 10% to Arctos at $9B+ implied. |
| 29 | Buccaneers · Glazer family | $8.68B | $8–10B | First American Financial + others (Malcolm Glazer). Also own Manchester United (NYSE: MANU) — Man U position materially larger. Bryan & Joel Glazer run. |
| 30 | Lions · Ford family (Hamp) | $8.02B | $4–6B | Ford Motor Company founding family. William Clay Ford Sr. bought 1963. Sheila Ford Hamp as principal owner. Ford Motor Co equity + Lions + residuals. |
| 31 | Bengals · Brown family | $7.40B | $5–6B | Paul Brown was AFL/AFC founding coach and owner. Son Mike Brown runs (second-longest tenured owner). Resistant to modern stadium capex — specific case. |
| 32 | Raiders · Davis + Durban pool | $9.90B* | $10–12B | *May 2026 25.3% stake to Durban/Meldman/Dell group implied $9.9B EV. Egon Durban (Silver Lake) holds NFL-approved option to acquire control when Mark Davis steps aside. |
*Represents an observed transaction value or implied EV, not the Sportico 2026 estimate. A negotiated price and an estimate measure different things and are not blended here. Ownership Group Net Worth reflects Institute-triangulated ranges from public sources; not qualified appraisals under IRC §6695A. See the book for methodology.
The Institute's plain-English read of Sportico's 2026 data, published August 12, 2026:
1. The whole league is worth roughly $299 billion. Summing Sportico's 32 franchise valuations produces an aggregate of about $299 billion, an average of $9.34 billion per club and a 31% year-over-year increase across the entire league. Nine clubs now carry a mark of $10 billion or more; a year earlier, none did.
2. Every team is now worth at least $7 billion. No NFL franchise carries a Sportico 2026 mark below $7 billion. The floor — the Cincinnati Bengals at $7.40B — is worth more than the most valuable franchise in the sport was worth as recently as 2019, when the Cowboys sat at $5.7B. The floor is rising faster than the top: the Bengals are up 35% year over year against the Cowboys' 21%.
3. The Cowboys are worth more than any sports franchise on Earth. At $15.50 billion, Dallas remains the most valuable sports franchise in the world — a position it has held in every major cross-sport ranking for more than a decade. The gap to second is $2.8 billion, wider than 30 of the 32 clubs' total value in 2019.
4. Seattle's 46% jump is the largest single-year move, and it is the one backed by cash. The Seahawks' revaluation is not a modeling change: the Paul G. Allen estate agreed on July 11, 2026 to sell the club for $9.612 billion, and NFL owners approved the sale unanimously on August 26, 2026 — a league record, eclipsing the $6.05 billion Commanders sale of 2023. An observed transaction is a stronger mark than any estimate, and Sportico's $9.61 billion sits within a hair of it. Elsewhere the largest moves are stadium-driven: Atlanta +39%, Buffalo +39%, Carolina +40%, Denver +40%. Stadium construction remains the most repeatable lever for franchise-value uplift in the NFL.
5. Revenue and operating income diverge sharply by team — on an older clock. Sportico's 2026 release does not restate club revenue and operating income, so the figures below and in the table above remain at their Forbes 2025 vintage and should be read against that date, not against the 2026 valuations. The Cowboys generate $1.234B in revenue against $629M in operating income — a 51% operating margin. The Detroit Lions generate $585M in revenue against only $21M in operating income — a 3.6% margin. The gap reflects local revenue capture, stadium ownership economics, and payroll capitalization decisions. Teams that own their stadium and have strong local-market economics run materially higher margins than teams that don't.
The Baratelli Institute does not produce original NFL franchise valuations. Forbes does that. Sportico does that. Sports Business Journal does that. The Institute's contribution is different: we aggregate the publicly available data across sources, put it in a single reference destination, and add cross-domain context that a reader focused only on sports may not have — how franchise valuations connect to family-office capital structure, how stadium deals interact with municipal bond markets, how media rights economics compare to other sectors, how ownership succession is affecting individual franchises.
Every number on this page traces to a filed or published source, and carries its own measurement date. Sportico's NFL Team Values 2026, published August 12, 2026, is the primary source for the value, rank and year-over-year columns. Forbes 2025, published August 28, 2025, is retained as the prior-year cross-check and is the source for the revenue and operating income columns; Forbes had not published a 2026 NFL set as of August 27, 2026. Historical valuations trace to Forbes' annual publications from 2012 forward. Where our per-team pages include salary cap detail, they source from Over The Cap or Spotrac with the reference date noted. Where we discuss ownership, we source from public filings, press disclosures, and the ownership family's own communications. Where we discuss stadium economics, we source from municipal bond issuances, lease agreements filed with local governments, and league-published revenue-sharing formulas.
The reader who wants a specialist's read on any single team should start with the Institute's per-team page, but should also read Over The Cap, Spotrac, and the team's local press coverage. We are a starting point, not an ending point.
The published Forbes 2025 marks are a fair-value baseline. What the actual transaction market has done over the last 18 months is different — a wave of tech-billionaire buyers, first-generation PE minority stakes, and one record-setting control transaction have all repriced NFL franchises meaningfully above the annual Forbes number. Every row below is a completed or NFL-approved-pending transaction, not a rumor or a Sportico model estimate.
Atlanta Falcons — Arctos Partners — 10% at $10.6B enterprise value (August 2026). Arthur Blank agreed to sell a 10% minority stake to Arctos Partners at an enterprise valuation of $10.6 billion, structured in two tranches over roughly 18 months and subject to an NFL owners’ vote expected in October 2026. Blank, who co-founded Home Depot and bought the franchise in 2002 for $545 million, retains control at just under 73% after the sale — comfortably clear of the league’s 30% controlling-owner floor. At $10.6B the entry check values Blank’s 2002 purchase at roughly 19x over 24 years, and prices the franchise 67% above the Forbes 2025 mark of $6.35B. The limited-partner group announced alongside the transaction includes Rosalind Brewer (former Walgreens CEO and Starbucks COO), Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes, film producer Will Packer, and venture investor Rashaun Williams. This is Arctos’ fourth NFL position, after the Chargers, Bills, and Browns — the firm is now the most active institutional buyer in the league since the August 2024 rule change. Institute read on the PE rule →
Seattle Seahawks — The Khosla Family — $9.612B (announced July 11, 2026). Formal agreement to acquire 100% of the Seahawks from the Paul G. Allen Trust at $9.612 billion, the largest sports franchise transaction in history — NFL owners ratified the deal unanimously on August 26, 2026. Neeru Khosla becomes the controlling owner (satisfying the NFL 30%-controlling-owner rule). Her husband Vinod Khosla (co-founder of Sun Microsystems, founder of Khosla Ventures) provides the primary capital. Their son Neal Khosla takes an operational and leadership position with the club. Vinod is required to divest his existing minority stake in the San Francisco 49ers as a condition of the transaction. The $9.612B price is 43% above the Forbes 2025 mark of $6.7B on the franchise and 59% above the prior NFL record (Commanders 2023 at $6.05B). Sale proceeds continue toward Paul Allen's philanthropic causes under his Giving Pledge commitments. Institute case →
Las Vegas Raiders — The Durban / Meldman / Dell group — 25.3% at $9.9B implied EV (May 2026). A group led by Egon Durban (co-CEO of Silver Lake, the PE firm that took Michael Dell's company private in 2013) and Michael Meldman (Discovery Land Company; Casamigos co-founder with George Clooney and Rande Gerber) bought a 25.3% stake from First Football (the Raiders' largest original minority shareholder). Co-investors in the tranche include Michael Dell (Dell Technologies, 5.3%), Joseph Baratta (Blackstone global head of PE, 1.7%), Ari Emanuel (TKO / WME executive chair, 1.4%), and Mark Shapiro (TKO president, 0.6%). Implied enterprise value $9.9 billion — 29% above the Forbes 2025 mark of $7.7B, with a headline valuation of approximately $11.1B before the NFL "flip tax" is applied. The pool is structured as an NFL-approved succession framework: Durban holds a formal option to eventually purchase a controlling interest if Mark Davis (the current controlling owner and son of Al Davis) decides to step aside. This is layered on top of the controversial October 2024 transaction that admitted Tom Brady and business partner Tom Wagner at a combined 10% stake priced at a $3.5B valuation — below market by any published mark of the day, and the reason the Durban repricing eighteen months later was so meaningful.
New York Giants — Julia Koch & family — minority stake at $10.25B implied EV (2025). The Koch family (via David H. Koch's estate, controlled after his 2019 death by Julia Koch and children) bought a minority stake in the Giants from John Mara and Steve Tisch at an implied franchise valuation of $10.25 billion — roughly 33% above the Forbes 2025 mark of $7.7B on the franchise.
New England Patriots — Sixth Street + Metropoulos — 8% at $9.0B implied EV (2025). Robert Kraft sold approximately 8% of the Patriots (3% to Sixth Street Partners, 5% to Dean Metropoulos) at an implied enterprise value of $9.0 billion. Kraft acquired the franchise in 1994 for $172 million; the implied 2025 value is a 52x return on the entry check over 31 years.
Miami Dolphins — Bin Lin — 1%+ at $12.5B total-package valuation (2026). Xiaomi co-founder Bin Lin acquired a 1% stake in the Dolphins alongside interests in Hard Rock Stadium and the Miami Grand Prix event at a total package valuation of $12.5 billion. The franchise-only implied value is lower; the $12.5B headline includes the stadium and the F1 event.
Cleveland Browns — Arctos Partners — 10% in tranches at $9B+ implied EV (2026). The Haslam family sold a 10% stake to Arctos Partners in staged tranches at an implied franchise valuation above $9 billion — well above the Forbes 2025 mark of $6.40B on the franchise.
Earlier NFL private-equity firsts (2024-2025). Following the NFL's August 2024 rule change allowing institutional capital, the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins were the first two franchises to sell 10% minority tranches to Arctos Partners and Ares Management respectively (Dolphins Ares transaction closed December 2024). Those were the two structural comparables that opened the market for the Browns, Giants, Patriots, and Raiders transactions that followed.
Sources: CNBC, ESPN, Front Office Sports, Reuters, NBC Sports, NFL owner-approval filings. Every transaction listed is completed or NFL-approved-pending; rumor items are excluded.
The table above is the Forbes 2025 dataset, and the Institute holds it at that vintage on purpose — revenue and operating-income columns only exist at that vintage, and mixing two publishers’ models inside one table produces a number no reader can trace. For context on where the modeled marks have moved since, Sportico published its 2026 NFL valuations in August 2026 at a league average of $9.34 billion, up 31% year over year on Sportico's own prior-year marks — the largest one-year gain since Sportico began the NFL series in 2020 — for a combined $299 billion across the 32 clubs, with nine franchises above $10 billion. Sportico marks the Cowboys at $15.5 billion, the Rams at $12.7B, the Giants at $12B, the Patriots at $10.4B, and the Jets at $10.35B. The Falcons rank 10th at $9.78 billion, up 39% — which is below the $10.6B the Arctos transaction actually printed, and a useful illustration of why the Institute sorts this table on transactions rather than models where a transaction exists.
Sportico figures are a published third-party model, not a transaction and not a filed document. They are reproduced here as market context and are not blended into the ranked table above. Forbes and Sportico use different methodologies and routinely disagree by 20–40% on the same franchise.
The Institute publishes parallel valuation hubs for the NBA, MLB, and NHL, plus a master 124-team ranking across all four US pro leagues in one destination.
Primary source: Forbes 2025 NFL Team Valuations, by Justin Teitelbaum and Brett Knight. First published August 28, 2025; updated November 10, 2025. Forbes original →
Institute contribution: aggregation into a single reference destination, historical trend context, cross-references to case studies, ownership and stadium context.
Corroborating sources for methodology and history: Wikipedia's Forbes list of the most valuable NFL teams (updated November 2025); prior Forbes rankings 2012 onward; NFL revenue-sharing disclosures; individual team press releases.
Refresh cadence: annual. The value, rank and year-over-year columns already run on Sportico's NFL Team Values 2026 (August 12, 2026). Forbes has not published a 2026 NFL set as of August 31, 2026 — its 2025 list ran August 28, 2025 and was updated November 10, 2025, so the next Forbes NFL ranking may land in November rather than August. The revenue and operating-income columns stay at the Forbes 2025 vintage until it does.
Editorial disclosure: the Institute has no financial relationship with any NFL franchise, Forbes, Sportico, or any other data source referenced. This page is published as an educational reference for readers interested in the business of professional sports. Not investment advice.
Per Sportico's 2026 NFL valuations, published August 2026, the average NFL franchise is worth approximately $9.34 billion, up 31% year over year on Sportico's own prior-year marks and the largest one-year gain since Sportico began the NFL series in 2020. Aggregate value across all 32 clubs is approximately $299 billion, with nine franchises above $10 billion. The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable at $15.5 billion; the Cincinnati Bengals sit at the floor at $7.4 billion. The ranked table on this hub prints Sportico's 2026 values, ranks and year-over-year changes. Its revenue and operating income columns are held at the Forbes 2025 vintage — where the league average was $7.13 billion and the aggregate $228 billion — because that is the only dataset carrying those two lines for every club, and the column headers say so.
The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable NFL franchise at $15.5 billion per Sportico's 2026 valuations, up 21% year over year and the seventh consecutive year the Cowboys have led Sportico's NFL ranking. Behind the Cowboys: the Los Angeles Rams at $12.7 billion, the New York Giants at $12.0 billion, the New England Patriots at $10.4 billion, and the New York Jets at $10.35 billion. At the Forbes 2025 vintage carried in the ranked table below, the Cowboys were marked at $13.0 billion.
The ranked table is built on Forbes' annual NFL team valuations, published in August and updated through November each year; the 2026 headline marks on this hub are Sportico's, published August 2026. Neither model is blended into the other. Corroborating sources include Sportico's annual ranking, Sports Business Journal, team-filed public disclosures (the Green Bay Packers are the only NFL team that publishes audited financials), municipal bond issuances for stadium finance, and NFL revenue-sharing disclosures. Every figure on this hub traces to one of those sources.