The
Dallas Cowboys haven't finished a season on top for the last 17 seasons, but they will start in first place in Forbes' NFL Franchise Valuations for the seventh straight year.
The Cowboys top Forbes' list of the most valuable NFL franchises for the seventh straight year. A look at the top five teams in the list:
FranchiseValue
1. Cowboys$2.3 billion
2. Patriots$1.8B
3. Redskins$1.7B
4. Giants$1.55B
5. Texans$1.45B
Jerry Jones' team is worth $2.3 billion, the magazine said in the list it published Wednesday morning. The Cowboys, who last won a Super Bowl in 1996, are the only NFL team worth more than $2 billion.
The
New England Patriots ($1.8 billion), the
Washington Redskins ($1.7 billion), the
New York Giants ($1.55 billion) and the
Houston Texans ($1.45 billion) round out the top five. The entire NFC East is ranked among the top seven most valuable teams, with the
Philadelphia Eagles coming in seventh ($1.31 billion).
Forbes says the average NFL franchise is now worth $1.17 billion, more than the mean valuation of the world's top 20 soccer teams ($968 million), average MLB team ($744 million), NBA team ($509 million) and NHL team ($282 million).
The Cowboys' $500 million lead over the Patriots was widened this offseason thanks to AT&T buying the naming rights to the 4-year-old stadium for more than $400 million. The team is the only team in the league that opted to distribute and control its merchandise supply chain.
Nine teams are worth less than $1 billion: the
Arizona Cardinals ($961 million),
San Diego Chargers ($949 million),
Atlanta Falcons ($933 million),
Cincinnati Bengals ($924 million),
Detroit Lions ($900 million),
St. Louis Rams ($875 million),
Buffalo Bills ($870 million),
Jacksonville Jaguars ($840 million) and
Oakland Raiders ($825 million).
No team declined in value from last year, though the
Kansas City Chiefs were unchanged at $1 billion. The team whose value rose the most, on a percentage basis, was the St. Louis Rams. The main reason the team got a boost, Forbes reasoned, is because the team has a chance to move in 2015.
The Super Bowl champion
Baltimore Ravens moved up two spots to No. 9 from No. 11 with their value rising from $1.16 billion to $1.22 billion.
Other teams in the top 10 include the
New York Jets (No. 6, $1.38 billion),
Chicago Bears (No. 8, $1.25 billion), and
San Francisco 49ers (No. 10, $1.2 billion).
at the raiders dead last at 825 million
