Professional sports is one of the biggest money industries in the modern world. Multi-million dollar advertising and TV deals mean that there has never been more investment flowing into the world of sports. Often called the richest league in the world, the NFL boasts seven of the world’s ten most valuable sports teams.
The ultimate goal for any NFL Franchise? To win a Super Bowl. But is it a goal teams try to achieve at all costs? Which teams broke the bank to win and which managed to save a few dollars on their path to success? Which is the cheapest team to win a Super Bowl?
Betting.com analyzed ten years of financial salary data on all 32 NFL teams to determine the spending habits of teams and compare Super Bowl winners across those ten years. All figures were adjusted for inflation to ensure regularity across the dataset.
2014 Seattle Seahawks cheapest overall winners
| Year | Active Spending ($) | Team |
| 2014 | 127,894,365 | Seahawks |
| 2013 | 128,603,658 | Ravens |
| 2022 | 131,562,445 | Rams |
| 2015 | 138,555,381 | Patriots |
| 2017 | 143,491,937 | Patriots |
| 2012 | 149,704,325 | Giants |
| 2020 | 154,104,644 | Chiefs |
| 2018 | 155,445,354 | Eagles |
| 2016 | 165,642,800 | Broncos |
| 2023 | 181,434,543 | Chiefs |
| 2019 | 182,295,352 | Patriots |
| 2021 | 209,398,396 | Buccaneers |
Spending just $127,894,365, the 2014 Seattle Seahawks won a Super Bowl whilst spending less than any other winner in the last 10 years. Ranked as the 18th greatest team of all time and the highest-rated side of the last 10 years. Only the 2017 Patriots side cracked the top 30. Seattle managed this feat spending 11% less than New England.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers rank as the most expensive victor of the last 10 years. Their $209,398,396 spend is 63% higher than the Seahawks. Their high salary bill is not surprising; Tom Brady’s yearly earnings alone account for 7% of the total wages. The numbers involved are huge. For the money they spent winning Super Bowl LV, the Buccaneers could have employed over 3,500 Americans at the country’s average wage ($59,000).
2022 Rams spent less than most for victory
| Team | Active Spending Vs Average ($) | Team |
| 2022 | -9,801,064 | Rams |
| 2020 | 1,387,518 | Chiefs |
| 2013 | 3,155,290 | Ravens |
| 2017 | 5,626,115 | Patriots |
| 2014 | 10,123,358 | Seahawks |
| 2012 | 10,712,967 | Giants |
| 2018 | 11,296,163 | Eagles |
| 2015 | 11,824,779 | Patriots |
| 2019 | 25,482,964 | Patriots |
| 2016 | 32,457,222 | Broncos |
| 2023 | 40,416,167 | Chiefs |
| 2021 | 43,939,194 | Buccaneers |
The only team to spend less than the league average in the year they won the Super Bowl was the LA Rams in the 2021/22 season when they won their first championship since moving back to LA.
Kansas discovered the price of glory with the Chiefs’ 2023 winning side costing $39 million more than their winning side three years previously when compared to league averages. The 2020 winning side was one of the best bargains as they had more cap space compared to the year’s average than any other Super Bowl winner, with $11,970,263 to spare. The New York Giants were the worst offenders in cap overspending, going $18 million over budget for their 2012 title.
Tampa once again ranks as the costliest team, with the winning side costing $43 million more than league averages in 2021.
Spending rise halted in 2023
| Team | Average Active Spending ($) |
| 2021 | 159,747,107 |
| 2022 | 152,522,873 |
| 2016 | 152,480,284 |
| 2018 | 142,147,595 |
| 2019 | 142,002,920 |
| 2023 | 141,018,376 |
| 2017 | 136,628,076 |
| 2012 | 135,777,468 |
| 2020 | 125,720,417 |
| 2013 | 124,596,440 |
| 2015 | 123,656,159 |
| 2014 | 115,138,934 |
With 2021 and 2022 being the two costliest seasons of the last ten years for NFL teams 2023 saw a fall in spending, with a 10% drop in salary costs from 2021 to 2023. On the whole, spending on salary has been rising, despite the fact that in 7 of the last 12 years there has been a year-on-year increase. In most cases, market competition drives contract prices to spike as seen this year and new deals for Burrows, Jackson and Mahomes caused owners to reach deep into their pockets.
Over time the last few years teams have been pushing the envelope of the salary cap, with the average space the teams have spare shrinking from $14 million in 2020 to $5 million in 2023. Average spending in 2023 has reached new heights with teams shelling out $172,043,957 in salary payments to their players. 13 teams outspend last year’s highest spender and Super Bowl Champion, the Kansas City Chiefs. An incredible 29 of the 32 teams spend more than the average Super Bowl winner since 2012. With plenty of time to go till the playoffs in January and little separating the teams salary costs this year’s Super Bowl champion is hard to predict.
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Methodology
Betting.com analyzed ten years of financial salary data on all 32 NFL teams to determine the spending habits of teams and compare Super Bowl winners across those ten years. All figures were adjusted for inflation to ensure regularity across the dataset.
