NFL team valuations for 2026: Cowboys remain league standard as Jets crack top five, Seahawks sell
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- NFL average franchise value reached $9.34 billion heading into the 2026 season, a 31% YoY increase Sportico calls the largest single-year jump in at least a decade
- Dallas Cowboys retained the top spot at $15.5 billion, becoming the first pro sports team ever to cross the $15 billion threshold
- Seattle Seahawks were sold to a Vinod Khosla-led group for a record $9.6 billion — 59% above the previous record ($6.05B set by Josh Harris for the Washington Commanders in 2023) — with NFL owners set to vote on the deal Aug. 26
- Cincinnati Bengals held the league's lowest valuation for a seventh straight year at $7.4 billion, yet still outvalue every non-NFL team except six worldwide
- New York Jets cracked the top five at $10.35 billion (28% YoY gain) while the Atlanta Falcons rose three spots to No. 10 at $9.78 billion (39% YoY)
- Green Bay Packers fell four spots, remaining the NFL's only publicly-owned, non-profit franchise with an estimated $8.59 billion valuation
- New York Giants posted the smallest gain at 17% ($12 billion), slipping to No. 4 across all sports after the reported $12.5 billion Los Angeles Lakers sale
Why it matters: The 31% league-wide surge means every NFL owner just got significantly richer on paper, while the Cowboys' $15.5B and the $9.6B Seahawks sale reset asking prices across the league — making the Bengals' 'worst' $7.4B a figure that would dwarf any non-NFL franchise.
Ask SkimNews
