The Vikings moved up one spot but the franchise's value continued to drop in Forbes magazine's annual NFL rankings. The Vikings are worth $774 million, down from $835 million a year ago and $839 million two years ago.
The team, though, is ahead of Oakland (31st at $758 million) and Jacksonville (32nd and $725 million) in the rankings. The Vikings were last among NFL teams for three years before moving ahead of the Raiders in 2009. Lester Bagley, the Vikings' vice president of public affairs and stadium development, said the team would have no comment on the rankings. The team has been consistent through the years on not commenting about this list. Owner Zygi Wilf bought the Vikings for a reported $600 million in 2005. In the article, Forbes reports that NFL team values fell 2 percent last season to an average of $1.02 billion. That is the first decline since Forbes began tracking the league's finances in 1998; 21 of the league's 32 teams had their worths drop. Forbes does not paint a pretty picture for the Vikings future, writing that Wilf's, "biggest asset is the termination of his lease at the Metrodome, which expires after the 2011 season. If Wilf does not have an agreement for a new stadium in Minnesota he will probably move the franchise to Los Angeles." The top team on the Forbes list is the Dallas Cowboys, who are worth $1.8 billion.
