Dallas Cowboys Remains NFL’s Most Valuable Franchise

The Dallas Cowboys have continued to reign supreme as the National Football League’s (NFL) most valuable franchise for the seventh straight year, according to Forbes’ annual team valuations.

The Cowboys, who recently announced a major naming rights agreement with AT&T, are worth $2.3 billion, eclipsing the Patriots ($1.8 billion) and Redskins ($1.7 billion) for the top spot. 

According to the report, NFL franchises are, on average, worth $1.17 billion, a 5 percent increase from last year. That value tops the average values of the top 20 soccer teams in the world ($968 million), the 30 Major League Baseball teams ($744 million), the 30 NBA teams ($509 million) and the 30 NHL teams ($282 million).

Forbes’ Mike Ozanian writes that the increase in average value comes mostly from a 3.6-percent increase in revenue. The Cowboys topped the league with $539 million in revenue last year.

The only team in the NFL to post an operating loss was the Detroit Lions. The Raiders are the least valuable franchise, with a value of $825 million.

The 10 most valuable NFL teams for 2013

1. Dallas Cowboys, $2.30 billion

2. New England Patriots, $1.80 billion

3. Washington Redskins, $1.70 billion

4. New York Giants, $1.55 billion

5. Houston Texans, $1.45 billion

6. New York Jets, $1.38 billion

7. Philadelphia Eagles, $1.31 billion

8. Chicago Bears, $1.25 billion

9. Baltimore Ravens, $1.22 billion

10. San Francisco 49ers, $1.20 billion

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