Forbes: Cowboys most valuable team for 12th year in row

ByDARREN ROVELL
September 20, 2018, 1:36 PM

The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable team in the NFL for the 12th straight year, according to the franchise value rankings published by Forbes magazine on Thursday.

The publication said the Cowboys are worth $5 billion, $1.2 billion more than the second most-valuable team, the New England Patriots ($3.8 billion).

The New York Giants ($3.3 billion), Los Angeles Rams ($3.2 billion) and the Washington Redskins ($3.2 billion) round out the top five.

The average franchise value for a team in the league is now $2.57 billion, but Forbes notes the 2 percent increase from last year is the smallest year-over-year increase in eight years. The magazine says it's because the values are now so high that there are fewer people who could create a bidding war.

There's not a direct correlation between winning and franchise value. In fact, seven of the top 10 teams (Cowboys, Giants, Redskins, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, New York Jets and Houston Texans) didn't make the the playoffs last year.

The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles came in at No. 10 with a franchise value of $2.75 billion.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones bought the team, the most valuable team in all of sports, according to Forbes, on a valuation of $63 million in 1989.