The Cleveland Browns sold this week to Jimmy Haslam for $1 billion. On the surface that figure seems ginormous for a team that is on its way to a fifth straight season with at least 11 losses. And that figure also seems impressive for Al Lerner who originally purchased the expansion franchise for $530 million in 1998.
But then consider that the value of the Browns (according to Forbes.com), has been almost unchanged since the 2005 season when it was valued at $970 million. That's a raise of just 3.1% in seven years, a period in which the Browns went from being the NFL's seventh most valuable franchise to just the 21st most valuable.
During that same period, NFL revenues jumped 46.4% (from $6.5 billion to $9.5 billion) and the value of the average NFL franchise rose 23.3% (from $898 million to $1.1 billion). Here's how the Browns' value has changed through the years...
Data via Forbes.com
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