Value of National Football League franchises 2021

While the Dallas Cowboys may have last tasted Super Bowl success back in 1996, the Texas outfit is still by far the most valuable franchise in the National Football League. Latest estimates value the franchise at 6.5 billion U.S. dollars, some 1.5 billion U.S. dollars more than its nearest rival, the New England Patriots.

Cowboys lead the way off the pitch...

In 2021, the Cowboys’ franchise was valued at 6.5 billion U.S. dollars, whilst the average franchise value in the NFL stood at about 3.48 billion U.S. dollars in 2021. In 2020, the Cowboys generated 800 million U.S. dollars in revenue, the most of all NFL teams. The franchise also ranks top in the list of most valuable sports team brands worldwide, just ahead of other household names such as the New York Yankees and Real Madrid. Along with the San Francisco 49ers, the Dallas Cowboys have been crowned Super Bowl champions a total of five times. The Cowboys' Golden Era came in the 1990s, when the team claimed three Super Bowl Rings between 1993 and 1996.

...while the Patriots dominate on the pitch

The Boston-based New England Patriots are the second most valuable franchise in the league, valued at five billion U.S. dollars in 2021. The team, who plays its home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, is also amongst the highest grossing teams in the league, as the Pats’ revenue amounted to 478 million U.S. dollars in 2020. The Patriots have dominated the Super Bowl in recent years, with all six of their titles coming under head coach, Bill Belichick, since 2002. The team is led by legendary quarterback, Tom Brady, who holds the record for most career playoff wins - his 30 career playoff wins are almost double that of his closest rival on the list, Joe Montana. It is unsurprising, then, that the Patriots quarterback also features fourth on the list of players with the most passing yards in NFL history. Indeed, he is only one of four players in NFL history with more than 70 thousand passing yards, the other three being Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees, who sits at the very top of the pile.