The National Football League is the most popular sport on the American soil. It is the sport where tactics, athleticism, and brute force merge to create an aura of passion and dreams. Sometimes it can be ruthless, sometimes poetic. So, let’s take a look at the richest NFL teams for the year 2021.
#10 Houston Texans
Value – US$3.3 billion
Five-Year Change in Value – 34%
Owner – Janice McNair
Year Purchased – 1999
Price paid – US$700 million
The Houston Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) South Division. They played their first competitive match in the NFL in 2002, which makes them the youngest franchise competing in the NFL. After initial struggles in the first decade of playing, they found success in the 2011 season, winning their first division championship and securing their first playoffs berth. In the following years, the Texans have gone on to win five more AFC South Division championships but remain the only side not to reach the Conference Championship game.
#9 Philadelphia Eagles
Value – US$3.4 billion
Five-Year Change in Value – 42%
Owner – Jeffrey Lurie
Year Purchased – 1994
Price Paid – US$185 million
In 1933, the franchise came into existence as a replacement for Frankford Yellow Jackets when a group led by Bert Bell secured the rights to an NFL franchise in Philadelphia. In their 80-year-long history, the Eagles had relative success in the early years followed by decades of loss in the wilderness. The franchise again became a big force in the early 2000s. So far, the Philadelphia Eagles have won 14 Division championships, four Conference Championships, 4 League Championships, 3 NFL Championships and the 52nd Super Bowl Championship in 2017.
#8 Washington Football Team
Value – US$3.5 billion
Five-Year Change in Value – 23%
Owner – Daniel Sunder
Year Purchased – 1999
Price Paid – US$750 million
The Washington Football Team, formerly known as the Washington Redskins, compete in the NFL as a member of the NFC East division. Founded in 1932, they were the first franchise to have a marching band and a fight song, “Hail to the Redskins”. Since 1932, they have won three Super Bowl Championships, the last of which came in 1991. Apart from that, they have also won five League Championships, five Conference Championships, and 15 Division Championships. Daniel Snyder became the majority stakeholder in 1999 when he paid US$800 million for the franchise, making it the highest sporting team transaction in history at the time.
#7 Chicago Bears
Value – US$3.53 billion
Five-Year Change in Value – 44%
Owner – The McCaskey family
Year Purchased – 1920
Price Paid – US$100
Founded on 17 September 1920, the Bears compete in the NFL as a member club of the NFC North Division. The ’40s and ’50s were their golden age as the franchise racked up nine NFL Championships. The Chicago Bears have a lot of records to their name, namely, the most entries in the Pro Hall of Fame, the most retired jerseys in NFL history, and the most number of victories recorded by any franchise. Apart from their nine NFL Championships, they have also won nine League Championships, of which one was a Super Bowl Championship in 1985, four Conference Championships, and 19 Division Championships. At 98 years old, Virginia Halas McCaskey is the oldest owner in the NFL.
#6 New York Jets
Value – US$3.55 billion
Five-Year Change in Value – 37%
Owner – Johnson Family
Year Purchased – 2000
Price Paid – US$635 million
The Jets were founded in 1959 as the Titans of New York, an original member of the American Football League. The franchise later joined the NFL in the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. With a history of more than 60 years, the team have won only four Division Championships, one League Championship, one AFL Championship and a lone Super Bowl Championship that came in 1968. Apart from the Cleveland Browns and the Detroit Lions, who have never reached the Super Bowl, the Jets’ drought of not reaching the Super Bowl since 1968 is the longest among all NFL franchises.
#5 San Francisco 49ers
Value – US$3.8 billion
Five-Year Change In Value – 41%
Owner – Denise DeBartolo York, John York
Year Purchased – 1977
Price Paid – US$13 million
The San Francisco 49ers are one of the most successful teams in NFL history. Founded in 1946 as a member of the All-American Football Conference, the 49ers joined the NFL in 1949 when the leagues were merged. Between 1981 to 1994 the 49ers won five Super Bowl Championships, four of which came under Hall of Fame coaches Bill Walsh and George Seifert. They have played in seven Super Bowls, which is the 3rd highest of all time, while also winning the Division Championships another 20 times between 1970 to 2019. They have the fourth-highest playoff wins (32) and played the most number of NFC championship games (16), which is also a record.
#4 Los Angeles Rams
Value – US$4 billion
Five-Year Change in Value – 176%
Owner – Stanley Kroenke
Year Purchased – 2010
Price Paid – US$750 million
The LA Rams compete in the NFL as a member of the NFC West division. Founded in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams based in Cleveland, Ohio, the franchise relocated to Los Angeles in 1946 following the 1945 NFL Championship victory game. The Rams played their first Super Bowl in 1979 where they lost to Pittsburgh Steelers but won their next Super Bowl in 1999 in a 23-16 victory over Tennessee Titans. The Rams made two more Super Bowls in 2001 and 2019 but lost on both occasions. Other than their exploits in the Super Bowl, the LA Rams have won seven Conference championships and 17 Division Championships in their long history. The market value of the franchise skyrocketed after the construction of the new stadium was completed; owner Stanley Kroenke put approximately US$5 billion from his pocket to fund this state-of-the-art facility.
#3 New York Giants
Value – US$4.3 billion
Five-Year Change in Value – 54%
Owner – John Mara, Steven Tisch
Year Purchased – 1925, 1991
Price Paid – US$500, US$150 million
The New York Giants were one of the five teams that joined the NFL in 1925 but are the only one from that group still existing. They are the third most successful franchise in NFL history with 8 NFL Championships, four of which came before the Super Bowl. They have the most championship appearances in NFL history with 19. Along with their NFL Championships, they have also won 11 Conference championships and 16 Division championships. Established in 1925 by Tim Mara with only US$500, today, the franchise is half-owned by his grandson, John Mara, and Steven Tisch who bought shares and became a co-owner in 1991 for US$150 million.
#2 New England Patriots
Value – US$4.4 billion
Five-Year Change in Value – 38%
Owner – Robert Kraft
Year Purchased – 1994
Price Paid – US$172 million
The New England Patriots compete in the NFL as a member club of the AFC East division. Founded in 1959 as the Boston Patriots, the team joined with the NFL in 1970 through the AFL-NFL merger. The team played most of its matches all around Boston before moving to Foxborough in 1971. As part of the move, they were rebranded as the New England Patriots. Generally unsuccessful in the 20th century with only five Division championships and three Conference championships to their name, the team enjoyed a period of dominance from 2001 to 2019 with the iconic duo of coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. The Patriots went on to win six Super Bowls (joint highest with Pittsburgh Steelers), 11 Super Bowl appearances, along with 9 Conference championships and 17 Division Championships. These two decades saw the New England Patriots rewrite the history books time and again as records kept tumbling each season.
#1 Dallas Cowboys
Value – US$5.7 billion
Five-Year Change in Value – 43%
Owner – Jerry Jones
Year Purchased – 1989
Price Paid – US$150 million
The Dallas Cowboys joined the NFL in the 1960 season. As members of the NFC East division, they have won 23 Division Championships to date. Apart from that, they have also won 10 Conference championships and five Super Bowls, the latest of which came in the 1995 season. They have made it to the Super Bowl on eight occasions, which is the joint second behind the New England Patriots. They have a nationwide following which is best represented by their 190 games sell-outs record. The Cowboys are the only NFL team to record 20 winning seasons in which they missed the playoffs only twice. In 2015, they became the first sports team to be valued at US$4 billion, becoming the world’s most valuable side. With their income generation between US$500-750 million annually, in 2018, the Cowboys became the first NFL franchise to be valued at US$5 billion.
Data Source : Forbes
Written By
Rahul Saha
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