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Being considered the poorest owner in the NFL is still something to be proud of because that means that person is still richer than anyone working in a corporate environment. Being the poorest just means that he’s one of the people striving the hardest to get to the top. So, who is the poorest NFL owner? Art Rooney II has less than one billion dollars of net worth, which grants him the title of the “poorest owner in the NFL.”[1, 2]
Key Takeaways
- Mark Davis is no longer the least wealthy NFL owner and the title now goes to Art Rooney II – the owner of Pittsburgh Steelers with a 2022 net worth of less than one million dollars.
Art Rooney II As The Poorest NFL Owner in 2022
Art Rooney Sr. (Art Rooney Jr.’s grandfather) founded Pittsburgh Steelers in 1933 and the financial value of the team has been increasing ever since then. As NFL values have skyrocketed across the league, the Rooney family’s net worth has increased wildly over decades of holding onto the team. The Rooney family gains their today’s wealth mainly from the franchise.
After his father, Dan Rooney died in 1933, Art Rooney Jr. inherited the organization and became the president. The team is currently valued at 3.98 billion U.S. dollars. [3]
Although his family’s net worth makes up a total of $1.35 billion (2015 statistics) and may increase way over that in 2022, Art Rooney Jr.’s net worth alone is estimated at less than $1 billion. [4, 5]
This makes him the least wealthy NFL owner in 2022.
Find out here how much NFL mascots and water boys earn.
Other Poorest NFL Owners In Details
Aside from Art Rooney II, below is a list of other poor NFL owners with their reported net worth:
Zygi Wilf, Minnesota Vikings; Net worth: $1.3 billion
Zygi Wilf became the owner of the Vikings when he purchased the team from the previous owner – Red McCombs in 2005. He, with his brother and four other partners, closed the deal at $600 million and has grown the franchise since then. In 2020, the team was valued at $2.95 billion which makes it the 17th most valuable NFL team at the time. [6]
Nevertheless, the main source of Zygi Wilf’s income is his family business – Garden Homes. This is a nationwide leader in retail, commercial, and private residential; development. The Wilf family owns more than 100 shopping centers and 90,000 apartment units across the states.
Michael Bidwill, Arizona Cardinals; Forbes net worth: $1.4 billion
Since 1932, the Bidwill’s has owned the Cardinals, and Forbes valued the franchise at $2.15 billion. Arizona boasts one Super Bowl appearance and five playoff berths ever since moving to the desert roughly three decades ago.
When Bill Bidwill passed away in 2019, Michael become the official owner of the Cardinals after years of being the team president (2007 – 2019).
Amy Adams Strunk and Adams family, Tennessee Titans; Forbes worth: $1.6 billion
Strunk took over the Titans from her late father Bud Adams in 2013. Strunk is now the controlling owner with a one-third stake. At 66, she owns a net worth of $1.6 million from her 50% stake in the Titans and she is one of the 18 women who partially own NFL teams. [7]
Mark Davis, Las Vegas Raiders; Net worth: $1.9 billion
Mark and his mother – Carol Davis inherited the team from his father – AI Davis when he passed away in October 2011. Before becoming the co-owner of Las Vegas Raiders, he has been working for the Raiders as he contributed to the establishment of the Raider Image stores. He has also been involved in the equipment department since 1986.
Despite being reported to be the least wealthy NFL owner by multiple sources, he has recently held a place in Forbes’s real-time list of billionaires with a rough net worth of $1.9 billion. [8]
Virginia Halas McCaskey and family, Chicago Bears; Forbes net worth: $2 billion
Halas Hall is the name of the Bears’ headquarters. George Halas Drive is the name of the location where the Pro Football Hall of Fame can be found. For quite some time, Halas played for, owned, and coached the Bears after founding their franchise and co-founding the NFL.
Virginia’s late father – George Halas bought the Chicago Bears in 1920 – three years before she was born. She is currently the oldest owner in the league at 99, after the death of Ralph Wilson. According to Forbes, she owns a net worth of $2 billion.
Mike Brown, Cincinnati Bengals; Reported net worth: $2.1 million
Aside from being the owner, Brown is also acting as the team’s general manager so he has a lot of work on his hands. Paul Brown—his father—co-founded the Bengals.
Forbes reported that Brown has a net worth of $2.1 billion in 2022. [9]
John Mara & Steve Tisch, New York Giants; Combined reported net worth: $2.2 billion
According to Forbes’s current list of the richest, Steve Tisch has a net worth of $1.7 billion. Meanwhile, Mara’s net worth is valued at $500 million. Together, as the owners of the New York Giants, they make a total of $2.2 billion.
Both of their fathers used to be the owners of the Giants and the franchise continues to prosper as one of the strongest brands in professional sports.
Next, check out this list of the oldest active players in the NFL.
Final Words
The NFL is known to have a lot of deep-pocketed owners. Despite this, not all of them are as rich as we think they are. And even though some of them may seem the poorest in that field, it would still take a long time before they actually lose all their hard-earned cash. What can you say about this? Do you think being an NFL owner is an easy way to earn revenue? If you have any comments, let us know!
If you enjoyed reading this article, you might as well like to read about how much NFL referees make or this article about NFL cheerleaders.
References
- https://www.profootballnetwork.com/nfl-richest-owners-net-worth-ranked/
- https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/194496/franchise-value-of-the-pittsburgh-steelers-since-2006/#:~:text=Franchise%20value%20of%20the%20Pittsburgh%20Steelers%20(NFL)%202002%2D2022&text=In%202022%2C%20the%20franchise%20value,around%203.98%20billion%20U.S.%20dollars.
- https://www.forbes.com/profile/rooney/?sh=463dfcd752b9
- https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/#5bd4ca153d78
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2020/09/10/the-nfls-most-valuable-teams-2020-how-much-is-your-favorite-team-worth/?sh=a4fe7e22ba49
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyfeldman/2022/09/24/meet-billionaire-tennessee-titans-owner-amy-adams-strunk-and-nine-other-women-changing-the-game-in-the-nfl/?sh=1e1422015dc3
- https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/#5bd4ca153d78
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/justinbirnbaum/2022/02/12/meet-the-billionaire-family-behind-the-cincinnati-bengals-the-nfls-second-least-valuable-team/?sh=24c91688186c
