Redskins first on list again of most valuable NFL teams

NEW YORK -- The Washington Redskins once again were ranked as the most valuable team in the NFL, surpassing $1 billion, the first U.S. sports franchise to do so.
Forbes magazine valued the Redskins at $1.104 billion, an increase of 16 percent in the last year. The team had revenues of $245 million in the last year and an operating income of $69.6 million.
Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, who also owns the team's FedEx Stadium home, paid $750 million for the franchise in 1999.
The Dallas Cowboys were ranked second at $923 million, followed by the Houston Texans, just entering their third NFL season and worth $905 million.
Rounding out the top 10 were the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots ($861 million); the Philadelphia Eagles ($833 million); the Denver Broncos ($815 million); the Cleveland Browns ($798 million); the Chicago Bears ($785 million); the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($779 million) and the Baltimore Ravens ($776 million).
At the bottom of the list were the Arizona Cardinals, worth $552 million. They lost $4.9 million last year, Forbes reported.
That value should increase, however, once the Cardinals' new stadium opens for the 2006 season.