Detroit Lions' franchise value near bottom of league, but things are looking up

Coming off a trip to the NFC Championship Game and all that it came with (division title, two playoff wins), the Detroit Lions are as popular as they've ever been. Ford Field is so sold out that there's a waiting list for season tickets, and single-game tickets are going to be hard to come by this year.

But as Sheila Hamp has rebuilt the Lions' reputation over the last few years, started by hiring good people and giving them whatever they need to do their best work, that hasn't yet translated to the franchise's value.

According to Sportico's recently released list of the most valuable NFL franchises for 2024, the Lions are No. 28. The valuation is determined by, "the sum of the enterprise value of an NFL franchise combined with the value of team-related businesses and real estate holdings.” 

The Dallas Cowboys top the list with a valuation of $10.32 billion. At least "America's Team" is at the top in something. The Cowboys lap the field, with the rest of the top five being the Los Angeles Rams ($7.79 billion), the New York Giants ($7.65 billion), the New England Patriots ($7.31 billion) and the San Francisco 49ers ($6.86 billion).

As for the rest of the NFC North, the Chicago Bears have the highest valuation (No. 11-$6.26 billion), followed by the Green Bay Packers (No. 19-$5.39 billion) and the Minnesota Vikings (No. 20-$5.32 billion).

Detroit Lions are on a big upswing in franchise value

The Lions got a valuation of $4.93 billion for this year. That's close to a 20 percent increase from last year, when they came in 30th on Sportico's list ($4.1 billion). From 2022 last year, the Lions had a league-high 43 percent increase in franchise value ($2.86 billion, 31st, in 2022).

Sportico tabs the collective value of the NFL's 32 franchises at $190 billion, accounting for team-related businesses and real estate held by owners.

Sportico data reporter Lev Akabas highlighted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a chart he shared showing the highest percentage increases in franchise value since 2020.

The Lions sit fifth on that list, with a 130 percent increase in value over that span.

So as the team has gotten better on the field, and there's a far better vibe than there was previously (not that it could have been any worse before Mrs. Hamp fully took the reigns and started turning things around), the value of the Lions' franchise has risen in kind. And the upswing may not end for a while.