Forbes rates Vikings as 21st most valuable NFL franchise

The magazine's annual rankings say the Vikings, with a new stadium on the way, are worth $1.007 billion.

August 15, 2013 at 8:44PM

The Vikings are the 21st most valuable franchise in the NFL, according to Forbes' annual rankings.

With a new stadium in the works, the Vikings are worth $1.007 billion.

The Wilf family bought the Vikings for a reported $600 million in 2005.

The Vikings have pledged $477 million, which includes a $200 million loan from the NFL, toward construction of the new stadium, which will cost $975 million.

Forbes explains how it values the franchises in this story, with an excerpt worth noting:

The NFL's 32 teams are worth, on average, $1.17 billion, 5% more than last year. The Cleveland Browns, a lousy team for years in a midsize market, sold for almost $1 billion last year. In contrast, the world's top 20 soccer teams have a mean value of $968 million. The average worth of Major League Baseball's 30 teams is $744 million. And average values for the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League, also each with 30 teams, are $509 million and $282 million, respectively.

The Dallas Cowboys are again the most valuable franchise. Here is how Forbes ranked the value of NFL teams:

1. Dallas Cowboys, $2.3 billion
2. New England Patriots, $1.8 billion
3. Washington Redskins, $1.7 billion
4. New York Giants, $1.55 billion
5. Houston Texans, $1.45 billion
6. New York Jets, $1.38 billion
7. Philadelphia Eagles, $1.314 billion
8. Chicago Bears, $1.252 billion
9. Baltimore Ravens, $1.227 billion
10. San Francisco 49ers, $1.227 billion
11. Indianapolis Colts, $1.2 billion
12. Green Bay Packers, $1.183 billion
13. Denver Broncos, $1.161 billion
14. Pittsburgh Steelers, $1.118 billion
15. Seattle Seahawks, $1.081 billion
16. Miami Dolphins, $1.074 billion
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $1.067 billion
18. Carolina Panthers, $1.057 billion
19. Tennessee Titans, $1.055 billion
20. Kansas City Chiefs, $1.009 billion
21. Minnesota Vikings, $1.007 billion
22. Cleveland Browns, $1.005 billion
23. New Orleans Saints, $1.004 billion
24. Arizona Cardinals, $961 million
25. San Diego Chargers, $949 million
26. Atlanta Falcons, $933 million
27. Cincinnati Bengals, $924 million
28. Detroit Lions, $900 million
29. St. Louis Rams, $875 million
30. Buffalo Bills, $870 million
31. Jacksonville Jaguars, $840 million
32. Oakland Raiders, $825 million

about the writer

about the writer

Chris Miller

Editor

Chris Miller supervises coverage of professional sports teams. He has been at the Minnesota Star Tribune since 1999 and is a former sports editor of the Duluth News-Tribune and the Mesabi Daily News.

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