Forbes Ranks Dallas Cowboys As Top NFL Franchise in Value

Forbes has released its annual valuation of NFL franchises, and it's no surprise that the Dallas Cowboys remain in the top position.  Their estimated worth is $1.85 BILLION.

Owner Jerry Jones has shown time and again what a great businessman he is (not saying anything about his ability as a football GM).  Cowboys Stadium, built at a cost of $1.2 billion, is an investment that makes millions for Jones year-round.  The stadium has 320 luxury suites, and 15,000 club seats that generate over $100 million in seat licensing annually.

The average NFL franchise is now worth $1.04 billion, an increase of 1.4% over last year, impressive considering the economy and the months-long lockout the League endured this year.  The Cowboys are far ahead of everyone else because Jones continues to use the Cowboys name/brand to create new streams of revenue.

He launched Legends Hospitality Management, a joint venture with the New York Yankees and Goldman Sachs that oversees business logistics for other stadiums.  This past year, Jones created Silver Star Merchandising (in the Cowboys name), which signed a 10-year merchandising deal with USC that covers all athletic department merchandise not worn on the football field.

Here's some highlights of the rest of the rankings by Forbes:

• #2 - Washington Redskins - $1.55 billion; 
• #3 - New England Patriots - $1.4 billion
• #4 - New York Giants $1.3 billion
• #5 - New York Jets - $1.22 billion
• The rest of the top 10 is filled out by the Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and the Baltimore Ravens
• Despite the nation-wide strong fan base, the Pittsburgh Steelers come in at #13 (one behind Denver);
• The San Diego Chargers come in at #22 with ;  moving the team to LA would no doubt greatly increase the franchise's value; also, they are not nearly as aggressive as Jerry Jones is in managing the team's brand; the Chargers earn an estimated $41 from their brand vs the Cowboys' $193 million
• The Atlanta Falcons come in at a surprising #27 ($814 million), in large part due to the very small percentage of profits that the team gets from the Georgia Dome (which they do not own)
• The Oakland Raiders are #31, with the Jacksonville Jaguars bringing up the rear at #32