During their professional careers, the world’s best NFL players earn hundreds of millions through heavy contracts and eye-popping endorsement deals. While some might think that Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams, the two most valuable NFL clubs worth $7.6bn and $5.9bn, have the most expensive player payrolls, that title goes to one other club.
According to data presented by SportsLens.com, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the highest-paid team in the National Football League, as their total player payroll hit a massive $304 million last season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Have $7M Higher Annual Player Expenses than Dallas Cowboys
Although Tampa Bay Buccaneers ranked twenty-fourth on the Forbes list of most valuable NFL teams, the club has the highest player expenses in the National Football League. Statistics show The Buccaneers spent $304 million on player payroll last season, or $7 million more than the world’s most expensive sports club, the Dallas Cowboys.
Their player expenses are even more interesting when looking at the club’s total revenue. According to Forbes data, Tampa Bay Buccaneers grossed $492 million last year compared to the $1.1bn of the Dallas Cowboys. However, the club’s wins-to-player cost ratio stood at 130, meaning The Buccaneers had 30% more victories per dollar of payroll than the league average. Dallas Cowboys’ wins-to-player cost ratio was much smaller, standing at 107 last season.
Indianapolis Colts and Cleveland Browns ranked third and fourth on this list, with $271 million in annual player payroll each. San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles followed, with $270 million, $263 million, and $258 million, respectively. Statistics also showed Atlanta Falcons had the lowest player expenses of all NFL teams, amounting to $199 million last season.
The Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys Saw the Biggest Player Expense Increase in Four Years
The Forbes data also showed Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys saw the biggest player expense increase in the National Football League.
Between 2018 and 2022, The Buccaneers’ annual player payroll grew 56%, rising from $194 million to $304 million. The Dallas Cowboys saw the same four-year increase, with the club’s player expenses jumping from $190 million to $297 million in this period.
New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers were far below that percentage but still saw massive 30% and 26% player payroll growth between 2018 and 2022.
Other top NFL clubs, like the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, and New York Giants, saw their annual player payrolls grow by 14% or 17% in this period, while Chicago Bears had the smallest increase of only 4%.
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