Few investments in the sports universe are as fruitful as NFL team ownership, and the latest year-over-year data shows that the league is growing in value at a dizzying pace. According to Sportico's annual team valuation report, the average franchise is worth $9.34 billion heading into the 2026 season, which marks a 31% increase from last year's average of $7.13 billion. That is the largest single-year jump in at least a decade.
The Dallas Cowboys remain the gold standard with a $15.5 billion valuation. They have been the highest-priced club in the world since Sportico first published its rankings in 2020. A number that is perhaps even more telling of the NFL's market dominance is the Cincinnati Bengals' $7.4 billion valuation.
While the Bengals hold the smallest price tag in the league for the seventh straight year, only six teams in the world outside of the NFL are worth more. This summer saw the largest purchase in league history. The reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks announced in July that a group led by Vinod Khosla agreed to buy them for a record $9.6 billion.
That number is 59% greater than the previous record of $6.05 billion, which Josh Harris set when he bought the Washington Commanders in July 2023. It also makes the Seahawks the 12th-most-valuable team in the league, up from last year's No. 14 ranking. Here are a few superlatives from Sportico's 2026 NFL team valuations.
Two years ago, the Cowboys became the first pro sports team to hold a $10 billion valuation. Now they are the first to cross the $15 billion mark. If Jerry Jones ever sells the franchise, he could effectively choose his number considering the Cowboys are the industry standard.
In 2018, he said he would not take less than $10 billion for the team, so one can only imagine what his asking price would be after nearly a decade of appreciation. Despite missing the playoffs in back-to-back years and going without a conference title since 1995, "America's Team" is as culturally iconic as ever. The Bengals have been to a Super Bowl and another AFC Championship Game in the last five years, and they boast as exciting of an offense as anyone with Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at the center of the show.
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