Steelers Value Skyrockets During Pandemic: Forbes

Pittsburgh PA

05 August, 2021

2:35 PM

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PITTSBURGH, PA — The coronavirus outbreak kept football fans out of Heinz Field last year, but the pandemic certainly didn't hurt the Steelers financially. The team's value increased 14 percent to $3.4 billion according to Forbes, which released its annual team valuations Thursday. To show how cash-flush NFL teams are, the Steelers current value ranks them just 14th out of the league's 32 teams and slightly below the league average of $3.5 billion. The most valuable franchise remains the Dallas Cowboys, whose worth also increased 14 percent to $6.3 billion. The least valuable team? The Buffalo Bills, worth a relatively paltry $2.3 billion. Perhaps that's why the team's ownership recently hinted the Bills might move to another city if they do not soon receive a new $1.5-billion stadium fully funded by taxpayers. Although the pandemic caused overall NFL revenue to drop 20 percent last year, the average value of NFL teams jumped 14 percent. Forbes attributed the increase to the league's growing national media rights deals. The NFL in March approved $112.6 billion in media rights agreements, an 82 percent average increase over the current deals. The 10 most valuable teams, according to Forbes: 1. Dallas Cowboys, $6.5 billion. 2. New England Patriots, $5 billion. 3. New York Giants, $4.85 billion. 4. Los Angeles Rams, $4.8 billion. 5. Washington Football Team, $4.2 billion. 6. San Francisco 49ers, $4.1 billion. 7. Chicago Bears, $4.07 billion. 8. New York Jets, $4.05 billion. 9. Philadelphia Eagles, $3.8 billion. 10. Denver Broncos. See the complete rankings here. Be the first to know what's happening in your community and region. With a free Patch subscription, you'll always be up to date on local and state news: https://patch.com/subscribe.