Sports business site names Patriots second-most valuable NFL franchise

Jan 20, 2019; Kansas City, MO: New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft watches from the sidelines before the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

By Alex Barth, 985TheSportsHub.com

According to the sports business website Sportico, the New England Patriots are the second-most valuable franchise in the NFL.

Valued at $4.97 billion, Robert Kraft’s organization sits behind only the Dallas Cowboys ($6.43 billion) on the 2020 list. The Los Angeles Rams round out the top three, with their new stadium upping the value to $4.1 billion. You can see a visualization of the breakdown here.

The evaluation is based on a combination of the estimated value of the team itself, as well as team-related business and real estate holdings. It’s that second category that gives the Patriots a sizable bump, given Robert Kraft owns both Gillette Stadium and the Patriots Place shopping center around it.

MORE: Chase Winovich loves milk

Altogether, the 32 NFL franchises came in at $99 billion in total value, with the average organization valued just over $3 billion. The Cincinnati Bengals are the least valuable NFL franchise, at $2.12 billion.

As the 2020 season gets underway, these numbers bear watching to see how COVID impacts the overall market of professional football. That will impact things like the salary cap as the league enters a post-pandemic era.

Here is the full list of NFL team evaluations, via Sportico:

1. Dallas Cowboys – $6.43 billion

2. New England Patriots – $4.97 billion

3. Los Angeles Rams – $4.10 billion

4. New York Giants – $4.00 billion

5. New York Jets – $3.70 billion

6. San Francisco 49ers – $3.63 billion

7. Washington Football Team – $3.58 billion

8. Chicago Bears – $3.41 billion

9. Philadelphia Eagles – $3.35 billion

10. Houston Texans – $3.34 billion

11. Miami Dolphins – $3.30 billion

12. Green Bay Packers – $3.16 billion

13. Pittsburgh Steelers – $3.11 billion

14. Denver Broncos – $3.10 billion

15. Seattle Seahawks – $3.08 billion

16. Atlanta Falcons – $3.00 billion

17. Minnesota Vikings – $2.84 billion

18. Kansas City Chiefs – $2.83 billion

19. Oakland Raiders – $2.82 billion

20. Baltimore Ravens – $2.80 billion

21. Carolina Panthers – $2.75 billion

22. Los Angeles Chargers – $2.67 billion

23. New Orleans Saints – $2.59 billion

24. Indianapolis Colts – $2.50 billion

25. Jacksonville Jaguars – $2.39 billion

26. Cleveland Browns – $2.36 billion

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $2.30 billion

28. Tennessee Titans – $2.23 billion

29. Arizona Cardinals – $2.22 billion

30. Buffalo Bills – $2.15 billion

31. Detroit Lions – $2.14 billion

32. Cincinnati Bengals – $2.12 billion

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at [email protected]