Dallas Cowboys ownership received marvelous news that makes long-term future of franchise very intriguing

The last time an NFL franchise was sold, the purchase was worth $6.05 billion. That number was blown out of the water on Wednesday when the Los Angeles Lakers were sold to Mark Walter for $10 billion. 

The purchase marks the largest sale in professional sports history and is the latest example of skyrocketing sports franchise values. 

And naturally, when the news hit my phone, I thought of the team always at the forefront of Forbes' valuation lists: The Jerry Jones-owned Dallas Cowboys. You just know he loves to see numbers like that in his industry even if he's not selling his beloved asset. 

Back in 2022, when the Broncos were sold to new owners, Jones hit the media with a bold claim that he could sell the Cowboys for $10 billion if he wanted to.

I wrote then about how he was probably right. The Broncos were purchased by around a 20% premium over their Forbes' valuation that year. If the same held true for the Cowboys in 2022, their price tag wouldn't been around $7.8 billion. It was easy to see the team going for double-digit billions, given the Cowboys' unique brand power and all that they represent. 

Let's look at more recent numbers. In Dec. 2024, the Lakers' value was projected at $7.1 billion by Forbes. That represents a 29% premium over their valuation.

The Cowboys sat at $10.1 billion, which under this logic would price them at around $13 billion plus whatever premiums you want to add in that number because it is America's Team, after all. 

Now granted, this is a hypothetical example because there is obviously way too much more than goes into franchise valuation so we don't really have a way to quantify any of this, but this is to point out Forbes is usually short in its valuations.

Anyways, the Jones Family probably loved to hear the news about the Lakers going for $10 billion because if they wanted to, they know their exit would look fantastic. Owning sports franchises might give owners a good, solid, reliable cash flow but the real business is in selling the franchise because values continue to rise dramatically year after year.

But this win is likely to stay in paper and paper only. The Cowboys have the most valuable franchise in sports and they know it. Cowboys fans might love to see them sell. They probably won't. 

And yet, I wonder. Long-term, how committed are Jerry's sons and daughter to keeping the team? Is there a number that would make them think twice? Or will it take three or more generations to get there?