Three-and-out: Cowboys, Giants have plenty to prove
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Dallas, New England are most valuable NFL franchises

By Chris Chase, USA TODAY

Mammas, feel free to let your babies grow up to be owners of mediocre NFC East franchises. The Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins again are near the front of Forbes' NFL team valuations despite a long run of ineptitude that has seen the division rivals combine for three playoff wins in the past 16 years.

Jerry Jones' Cowboys are valued at $2.1 billion, well ahead of the New England Patriots ($1.64 billion). Owner Daniel Snyder's Washington Redskins are the third-most valuable team at $1.6 billion.

The Cowboys and Redskins demonstrate that on-field success isn't necessarily an indicator of off-field financial power. Of the nine franchises with the highest values, only two (New England and the fourth-ranked New York Giants) have won Super Bowls in the past 15 years. More successful teams like the Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers occupy the middle part of the Forbes list.

A sampling of the rankings, which can be viewed in full here:

1. Dallas Cowboys, $2.1 billion, up 14% over last year

Factoring in the royalties from Jerry Jones' pizza rap song, the total ticks up to $2,000,000,006.17.

3. Washington Redskins, $1.64 billion, up 3%

The few remaining Snyder apologists always hide behind the "but he's a good businessman" argument. Six Flags, the gameday experience at FedEx Field and stagnant 2012 growth would be to disagree. No other team in the top half of the rankings had such a low percentage in value change. Not to worry; Snyder is used to knowing what it's like to not grow.

10. Green Bay Packers, $1.162 billion, up 7%

The Packers, the only publicly-owned NFL franchise, recently offered a sale of "stock" (really a sliver of a fraction of a percentage share of the team) to the public. It was a rousing success, showing that public offerings aren't dead yet, Facebook.

22. Minnesota Vikings, $975 million, up 22%

The Vikes had the highest percentage jump in the league. Minnesota residents should be proud that their $498 million contribution to the new stadium is paying such dividends.

26. Cincinnati Bengals, $871 million, no change

Forbes says the Bengals are the only team that didn't increase its value in 2012. We give Snyder some flak, but at least he can say he's not Mike Brown.

27. Detroit Lions, $855 million, up 1%

What makes the NFL different from its North American counterparts? The 27th-most valuable team can hand out the most valuable contract (Calvin Johnson, eight years, $132 million).

32. Jacksonville Jaguars, $770 million, up 6%

How good is it to be in the NFL business? The least valuable franchise in football is worth more than all but six teams in the other three major American sports.

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