Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has been somewhat of an enigmatic figure since he bought the NFL team from then-owner Wayne Huizenga back in 2008.
The Dolphins have earned a trip to the NFL Playoffs just four times without a postseason win since he took over managing control.
Despite these on-field struggles, the Dolphins continue to be a brand in South Beach. Ross’ initial purchase came in at $1.1 billion. Per Forbes estimates, the NFL team is now valued at $5.7 billion. That’s a nice return on your investment.
Apparently, the 83-year-old Ross is not ready to give up control as the value of NFL franchises continue to increase at a record clip.
Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross turns down $10 billion offer to sell the team
According to USA Today’s Safid Deen, Ross “recently entertained” a $10 billion offer to sell the Dolphins as well as Hard Rock Stadium and the right to host the F1’s Miami Grand Prix. His reasoning was rather simple.
“Ross declined the offer because he wants to keep the assets in his family, the two people said,” report on Stephen Ross declining to sell the Miami Dolphins. “Still, the offer shows the ceiling of NFL franchise valuations and sports conglomerates continues to rise exponentially.”
That’s an absolutely staggering figure. Obviously, we’re talking about assets more than the Dolphins’ organization. But $10 billion. This is the new normal around the league. Another report also indicated that a majority control in the Dolphins “is not for sale.” Ross wants to keep that control.
Related: Miami Dolphins standing in Sportsnaut’s post-draft NFL power rankings
Miami Dolphins team value and recent NFL sales
- Dallas Cowboys: $9 million
- New England Patriots: $7 billion
- Los Angeles Rams: 6.9 billion
- New York Giants: $6.8 billion
- Chicago Bears: $6.3 billion
- Las Vegas Raiders: $6.2 billion
- New York Jets: $6.1 billion
- Washington Commanders: $6.05 billion
- San Francisco 49ers: $6 billion
- Philadelphia Eagles: $5.8 billion
- Miami Dolphins: $5.7 billion
Sitting just outside of the top 10, these Dolphins are valued at a high clip despite their lack of on-field success. But as we’re seeing today in the professional sports world, it’s about a lot more than that.
Brands are built in several ways. That includes market size and stadium dynamics. If you look at the 10 highest-valued NFL teams, six have somewhat newer venues. The Chicago Bears are also slated to move into a state-of-the-art venue at some point in the not-so-distant future.
As for the ‘Fins, they did just renovate Hard Rock Stadium. This venue has played host to multiple big sporting events in the past. That will continue.
The boom in NFL franchise values was magnified when the Washington Commanders sold to Josh Harris for a record $6.05 billion last July. Prior to that, the Denver Broncos’ sale back in 2022 was the high-water mark at $4.65 billion.
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