With the 2023 NFL season just around the corner, it’s time for our annual rankings of all 32 team owners.
As always, this list is largely based around how the owner has acted in their role — and we accounted for both their track records as well as the club’s recent performances.
So without further ado, we present our 2023 edition of all 32 NFL owners — ranked from WORST to FIRST.
32. Michael Bidwill (Arizona Cardinals)
Bidwill takes the last spot in our rankings one year after placing 20th on our list. Quite frankly, it’s impossible to defend anything he’s done up to this point.
He was way-too-loyal to Steve Keim for a decade. He waited *checks notes* maybe two years too long to fire Kliff Kingsbury. His new GM, Monti Ossenfort, couldn’t find a taker for DeAndre Hopkins and he was released for nothing. Really?
31. David Tepper (Carolina Panthers)
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We certainly admire Tepper’s willingness to open his wallet for coaches and players — and for being mostly hands-off. But the fact remains that Carolina hasn’t had a winning season under his ownership, going 29-53-0 over his first three seasons in charge.
Tepper’s going to be near the very bottom until/unless his Panthers show any form of progress.
30. Woody & Christopher Johnson (New York Jets)
These men will be near the very bottom of the list unless the Jets produce a Super Bowl any time soon. Trading for Aaron Rodgers doesn’t justify moving them up whatsoever. The Johnsons are just lucky that the Green Bay Packers were so willing to move on from their franchise star.
This club enters 2023 with the longest active playoff drought, having last qualified in 2010. You can point the finger at the men in charge for years of dysfunction.
29. Jimmy Haslam (Cleveland Browns)
The Browns have gone 59-118-1 under Haslam’s ownership with one playoff appearance and victory. His habit of constantly changing GMs and coaches — who in turn always change quarterbacks — simply hasn’t worked.
Still questioning the Browns’ decision to run Baker Mayfield out of town and alienate a giant portion of their fanbase by trading for Deshaun Watson.
28. McCaskey Family (Chicago Bears)
Everybody loves the now-100-year-old Virginia Halas McCaskey, who’s owned the team since 1983. But being a wonderful person doesn’t necessarily make you a good owner, as we’ve seen here.
Virginia and her son, George McCaskey — the team chairman — have recycled through coaches, GMs and quarterbacks all too frequently over the past decade. The result? Two playoff berths and zero postseason wins since 2011.
27. McNair Family (Houston Texans)
The Texans’ rebuild is on the right track, but let’s not forget what the McNair family ownership did some years ago. They let the power-hungry Bill O’Brien destroy a consistent playoff team by forcing DeAndre Hopkins and JJ Watt out of town.
David Culley and Lovie Smith were one-and-done coaches in consecutive years. What kind of model of continuity is that? At least Houston sports fans have grade-A ownership with Jim Crane of the Astros….
26. Rob Walton (Denver Broncos)
Respect to Walton for showing a willingness to spend big — see the Russell Wilson and Sean Payton additions. Walton’s first year as the Broncos’ owner was an unexpected disaster, but it’s also too soon to put him in the very-bottom-tier of NFL owners.
If Wilson and the Broncos bounce back in 2023, Walton should find himself in the top-20 by next year.
25. Josh Harris (Washington Commanders)
Congrats to the NFL’s newest owner on cracking the top-25. Honestly, Harris is this high simply because he’s not Dan Snyder. About time Snyder left town. A win for everybody in the NFL — even non-Commanders fans.
Harris also owns the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, two championship contenders in their respective leagues. We don’t doubt his ability to patiently build a winner in Washington.
Side note: Is he already the NFL’s most universally loved owner just by not being Dan Snyder?
24. Shahid Khan (Jacksonville Jaguars)
The Jaguars only have two winning seasons and postseason berths under Khan. But recency has to be taken into account here — and the Jaguars really turned a corner last season with an AFC South division title and stunning comeback playoff win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Khan wasted little time firing Urban Meyer. He let GM Trent Baalke go crazy in 2022 free agency, and boy did Brandon Scherff, Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, Zay Jones and Foyesade Oluokun prove to be excellent pickups.
And that Doug Pederson hiring already looks like a franchise-changer. If the Jaguars can take another step here in 2023, Khan will crack the top-20 next year despite an ownership mostly highlighted by dysfunction and double-digit-loss seasons.
23. Mark Davis (Las Vegas Raiders)
The Raiders haven’t been downright terrible for a while now. They’re at least competitive enough to win seven to 10 games a year. But that’s also kind of a problem: Davis has been pleased enough with mediocrity and the mushy middle.
Bringing back Jon Gruden and giving him full control over player personnel decisions was a disaster. Parting ways with interim HC Rich Bisaccia after he led the Raiders to the playoffs in 2021 was…something.
22. Jim Irsay (Indianapolis Colts)
Irsay actually cares about winning and doesn’t hide from the media. He deserves credit for being honest and open. At the same time, his hands-on approach in recent years has set the Colts way back.
He stood by coaches like Jim Caldwell, Chuck Pagano and Frank Reich for far too long. He’s being overly loyal to GM Chris Ballard…who’s gotten this club…where exactly?
21. Sheila Ford Hamp (Detroit Lions)
Ford Hamp’s mother, Martha Ford, was too nice to the disastrous tandem that was Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn. So full credit to Ford Hamp for committing to a scorched-earth rebuild and giving the green light to Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes to go through with the Matt Stafford trade.
Campbell and Holmes made football fun again in Detroit and have built a promising roster mixed with proven vets and dynamic youngsters.
20. Dean Spanos (Los Angeles Chargers)
Spanos might not be the most popular owner, especially after relocating the Bolts from San Diego to LA in 2017. But it’s hard to ignore recent results.
Spanos has stayed hands-off and allowed GM Tom Telesco to build a fun team here led by superstar QB Justin Herbert. Maybe Spanos and Telesco have been too patient thus far with Brandon Staley, but it’s also hard to justify firing a coach who’s led you to consecutive winning seasons.
19. Arthur Blank (Atlanta Falcons)
We like Blank because he’s hands off and happily opens his wallet whenever the Falcons’ brass needs to spend money. But the fact is, Atlanta has endured five straight losing seasons — and they have one playoff win since their Super Bowl 51 collapse
18. John Mara & Steve Tisch (New York Giants)
After five straight losing seasons, the G-Men turned a corner and won their first playoff game in 11 years. Does that erase the previous decade of misery under Mara and Tisch? Of course not, but credit where it’s due. They hit the jackpot by replacing Dave Gettleman and Joe Judge with Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll.
And as frustrated as G-Men fans may get with these two, it’s hard to complain TOO much about owners that have overseen not one, but two Super Bowl championship-winning seasons.
17. Stephen Ross (Miami Dolphins)
For many years, Ross was regarded as one of the worst owners in football — and rightfully so.
But Miami has endured three straight winning seasons, and they ended a six-year playoff drought in 2022. Results are results.
The Brian Flores firing as head coach looked dumb at first, but Mike McDaniel cemented himself as the perfect coach to unlock Tua Tagovailoa.
16. Mike Brown (Cincinnati Bengals)
Just two years ago, Brown was ranked 28th on this list. But my oh my, how things can change in a short period of time.
Did he get lucky winning the Joe Burrow draft sweepstakes? Yes. But Brown needs credit for the savvy hiring of Zac Taylor as head coach. And after years of being a cheapskate of an owner, he’s been opening up his checkbook aplenty to build a winner around Burrow.
Two straight AFC Championship appearances and one Super Bowl berth later? He cracks the top half. Well done, Mike. We knew you could do it!
15. Gayle Benson (New Orleans Saints)
The Saints have gone 54-18-0 since Mrs. Benson took over the team following the death of her husband, Tom, in 2018. Last season marked the club’s first losing campaign under her ownership.
She’s hands-off and lets GM Mickey Loomis do things as he wishes. On one hand,it’s admirable that she doesn’t tell her employees what to do. But there’s also a case to be made that she should’ve told Loomis to begin a rebuild after Drew Brees and Sean Payton left…
14. Zygi Wilf (Minnesota Vikings)
He got the Vikings one of the fanciest stadiums in football and has accumulated a very solid 154-134-2 record since taking over as owner in 2005. That includes two NFC Championship appearances and nine winning seasons.
Vikings fans could have it a LOT worse.
13. Glazer Family (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
The Glazers were also long regarded as some of the worst owners in football. But the Bucs won the Tom Brady sweepstakes in 2020 and celebrated the franchise’s second Super Bowl championship one year later.
Hard to critique that kind of ownership. And they’ve never-ever been shy on spending big money to retain franchise stars.
12. Amy Adams Strunk (Tennessee Titans)
2022 was the Titans’ first losing season under Amy Adams Strunk. Clearly, she’s doing a lot right!
Adams Strunk has overseen the Titans’ rise as a consistent playoff team after a near-decade of painful mediocrity. Hiring Mike Vrabel as head coach was the ultimate difference-maker, and her patience with him has paid major dividends.
11. Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys)
We once viewed Jerry as a top-10 worst owner in sports, though that was largely due to his obsession with staying loyal to Jason Garrett.
Love or hate him, Jones made the right choice to replace Garrett with Mike McCarthy — who just led Dallas to a second straight 12-win season. And Jones’ track record at the draft table doesn’t go unnoticed.
10. Jody Allen (Seattle Seahawks)
Well, Allen was smart in trusting John Schneider and Pete Carroll in that dealing Russell Wilson away was in the best interest of the franchise. And now look at the promising state of this Seahawks’ club.
Like her late brother Paul, Jody has stayed out of personnel decisions and has rightfully allowed Schneider and Carroll to build the team how they wish.
9. York Family (San Francisco 49ers)
Like Jerry Jones, it’s hard to argue with results. The 49ers are coming off a third NFC Championship Appearance in four years as John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan continue to build up an NFL powerhouse.
8. Terry & Kim Pegula (Buffalo Bills)
After a decade and a half of misery, the Bills have finally morphed back into a relevant football team. The Pegulas hit the jackpot when they hired both Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott, who have built up an annual playoff team and Super Bowl contender.
Getting the wheels in motion for the long-overdue-brand-new stadium was also a big-time win on their hands.
7. Green Bay Packers Inc.
While the on-field product is usually very good, the Packers’ cheapness in free agency eventually caught up to them. Aaron Rodgers couldn’t really wait to get out of town, and we’re still unsure if the Pack made the right decision moving on from the four-time MVP.
But with a record of 153-87-2 under Mark Murphy’s leadership plus a Super Bowl 45 banner, the Packers can only complain so much.
6. Steve Bisciotti (Baltimore Ravens)
The Ravens have always had great coaching and management. That’s a testament to Bisciotti’s ability to find the right people for the jobs.
Baltimore has re-emerged as an AFC power in the Lamar Jackson era. Bisciotti proved genius for keeping John Harbaugh despite cries to fire him in 2018. And he had no issue handing Jackson the big money he deserved.
5. Stan Kroenke (Los Angeles Rams)
What a year and a bit it’s been for Kroenke. A Super Bowl 56 championship with the Rams followed by his Colorado Avalanche winning the Stanley Cup a few months later. A year later, the NBA’s Denver Nuggets were celebrating their first-ever championship.
It helps that Kroenke can spend limitlessly since he has way more money than most other owners. But you can’t hate on a guy who comfortably watches from the top while trusting his employees and players to do their jobs accordingly.
Three major championships in 16 months speaks for itself.
4. Rooney Family (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Historically speaking, the Rooneys have been the best owners that the game of football has ever seen. Six Super Bowls speaks for itself. As does the fact they’ve had literally THREE head coaches since 1969. Think about that for a second.
Oh, and they haven’t had a losing season since 2003. Yes, Steeler fans have waited a half-decade-and-counting for the seventh Lombardi Trophy, but let’s not pretend the Rooneys have no idea what they’re doing.
3. Robert Kraft (New England Patriots)
The unthinkable has happened. Kraft is no longer in the top spot on our list — let alone in the top two.
He can simply flash his six Super Bowl rings and block out all the criticism forever. But the Patriots just suffered a second losing season in three years — and they haven’t won a playoff game in four years.
Did Tom Brady make both Kraft and Bill Belichick look better than they are? It’s looking that way. But let’s see the Patriots suck for one or two more years before we consider moving down a six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach any further…
2. Jeffrey Lurie (Philadelphia Eagles)
Grade-A ownership here under Lurie. He didn’t hesitate to pivot away from Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz three years after the Eagles won their first-ever Super Bowl championship in the 2017 season.
Lurie kept Howie Roseman and allowed his longtime executive to rebuild the club his way. Nick Sirianni is a top-five coach in the game who unlocked Jalen Hurts as an MVP-caliber QB. And next thing you know, the Eagles are just a few short plays away from winning their second Super Bowl.
A new long-term winner has been built in Philly, and Lurie’s fingerprints are all over it.
1. Clark Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs)
Like we said, it’s hard to argue with results.
The Chiefs haven’t had a losing season since hiring Andy Reid in 2013. They have won 12-plus games every year since Patrick Mahomes became the starting QB — hosting five straight AFC Championship Games and winning three of them.
Oh, and those Super Bowl 54 and 57 championship banners don’t hurt. Yep, this Hunt guy knows how to run an NFL franchise alright.
What changes would you make to our 2023 edition of the NFL owner rankings?
