NFL Naming Rights Sponsorships: Which Teams Earn the Most Money?
The NFL is seeing unprecedented interest from advertisers – and most fans need only look at the name of their local stadium for proof. James Bisson takes an in-depth look at the boom in naming rights sponsorships across the NFL, which industries dominate the scene, and how the emergence of legal sports betting in the U.S. has impacted the sponsorship landscape.
AT&T. FedEx. Bank of America. Gillette.
These brands aren't just part of our everyday walk – they're also prominently featured on some of the most iconic sports venues in North America. And while there's plenty of fan resistance to adding corporate brands to NFL stadiums, there's no debating the fact that these agreements generate millions of dollars annually for the teams that sign them.
Here's a breakdown of how NFL stadium naming rights have taken off in recent years:
NFL Naming Rights Sponsorships by Industry, 2013-23
Naming Rights Sponsorship Trends
- NFL stadium naming rights sponsorships have increased by a whopping 81% over the past 10 years.
- Financial services (700%), insurance (100%) and auto industry sponsorships (50%) have seen the highest growth rates over that 10-year span.
- Retail sponsorships have disappeared from the picture; there are no retail naming rights deals in place at NFL stadiums as of 2023.
- 2020 saw the biggest year-over-year change in naming rights sponsorships over the previous decade, with the number of participating venues rising from 20 to 26 (a 30% jump).
Naming Rights Sponsorships by Team
| Team | Value ($bn)* | Stadium Sponsor | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 3.8 | State Farm | Insurance |
| Atlanta Falcons | 4.7 | Mercedes-Benz | Auto |
| Baltimore Ravens | 4.6 | M&T Bank | Financial Services |
| Buffalo Bills | 3.7 | Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York | Health Care |
| Carolina Panthers | 4.1 | Bank of America | Financial Services |
| Chicago Bears | 6.3 | No Sponsor | N/A |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3.5 | Paycor | Software |
| Cleveland Browns | 4.6 | No Sponsor | N/A |
| Dallas Cowboys | 9.0 | AT&T | Telecom |
| Denver Broncos | 5.1 | Empower | Financial Services |
| Detroit Lions | 3.6 | Ford Motor Co. | Auto |
| Green Bay Packers | 4.6 | No Sponsor | N/A |
| Houston Texans | 5.5 | NRG Energy | Utility Services |
| Indianapolis Colts | 4.4 | Lucas Oil | Manufacturing |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 4.0 | EverBank | Financial Services |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4.3 | GEHA | Insurance |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 6.2 | Allegiant | Travel |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 4.2 | SoFi | Financial Services |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6.9 | SoFi | Financial Services |
| Miami Dolphins | 5.7 | Hard Rock | Restaurant |
| Minnesota Vikings | 4.7 | U.S. Bank | Financial Services |
| New England Patriots | 7.0 | Procter & Gamble | Fast-Moving Consumer Goods |
| New Orleans Saints | 4.1 | Caesars Entertainment | Hotels & Casinos |
| New York Giants | 6.8 | MetLife | Insurance |
| New York Jets | 6.1 | MetLife | Insurance |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5.8 | Lincoln Financial | Insurance |
| Pitsburgh Steelers | 4.6 | Acrisure | Insurance |
| San Francisco 49ers | 6.0 | Levi Strauss & Co. | Fashion |
| Seattle Seahawks | 5.0 | CenturyLink, Inc. | Telecom |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4.2 | Raymond James Financial | Financial Services |
| Tennessee Titans | 4.4 | Nissan | Auto |
| Washington Commanders | 6.1 | FedEx | Delivery Services |
*Values provided by Forbes and are accurate as of Aug. 23, 2023
Only three stadiums in the NFL operate without naming rights sponsorships as of 2023:
- The Green Bay Packers play at historic Lambeau Field, re-named from City Stadium in 1965 after team founder and head coach Earl "Curly" Lambeau, who had passed away two months earlier. Packers president Mark Murphy has said "it will always be Lambeau Field," though the team has sold naming rights to several areas of the stadium.
- The Chicago Bears have remained faithful to the Soldier Field name, with their stadium serving to honor those who died in combat during World War I. But the Bears could be on the move to a different part of the metro area – and a relocation would almost certainly come with a naming rights agreement that would add hundreds of millions in revenue.
- The Cleveland Browns chose to end their naming rights partnership with utility services giant FirstEnergy in the spring of 2023 due to fallout from the company's involvement in the Ohio nuclear bribery scandal; their deal was originally set to run through 2029.
Naming Rights Sponsorship Values
Here's a look at the value of the NFL's 29 stadium naming rights deals (financial terms that were not made public have footnotes attached):
| Team | Sponsor | Start | End | Annual Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | State Farm | 2018 | 2036 | $8-9 million¹ |
| Atlanta Falcons | Mercedes-Benz | 2015 | 2042 | $12 million² |
| Baltimore Ravens | M&T Bank | 2017 | 2027 | $6 million |
| Buffalo Bills | Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of WNY | 2021 | 2031 | Unknown |
| Carolina Panthers | Bank of America | 2004 | 2024 | $7 million |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Paycor | 2022 | 2038 | $8-12 million³ |
| Dallas Cowboys | AT&T | 2013 | NA | $17-19 million⁴ |
| Denver Broncos | Empower | 2019 | 2039 | $6 million⁵ |
| Detroit Lions | Ford Motor Co. | 2002 | 2027 | $2 million |
| Houston Texans | NRG Energy | 2000 | 2032 | $10 million |
| Indianapolis Colts | Lucas Oil | 2006 | 2028 | $6 million |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | EverBank | 2014 | 2024 | $4.3 million |
| Kansas City Chiefs | GEHA | 2021 | 2031 | Unknown |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Allegiant Travel Co. | 2019 | NA | $20-25 million⁶ |
| Los Angeles Chargers | SoFi | 2020 | 2040 | ~$15 million⁷ |
| Los Angeles Rams | SoFi | 2020 | 2040 | ~$15 million |
| Miami Dolphins | Hard Rock | 2016 | 2034 | $13.9 million |
| Minnesota Vikings | U.S. Bank | 2015 | 2040 | $8.8 million |
| New England Patriots | Procter & Gamble | 2010 | 2031 | ~$8 million⁸ |
| New Orleans Saints | Caesars Entertainment | 2021 | 2041 | $6.9 million |
| New York Giants | MetLife | 2011 | 2036 | $8 million |
| New York Jets | MetLife | 2011 | 2036 | $8 million |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Lincoln Financial | 2002 | 2033 | $12 million |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Acrisure | 2022 | 2042 | >$10 million⁹ |
| San Francisco 49ers | Levi Strauss & Co. | 2013 | 2033 | $11 million |
| Seattle Seahawks | CenturyLink, Inc. | 2011 | 2034 | $4.2 million |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Raymond James Financial | 1998 | 2028 | $3.2 million |
| Tennessee Titans | Nissan | 2015 | 2035 | $5 million |
| Washington Commanders | FedEx | 1998 | 2025 | $7.6 million |
It's fascinating how wide a disparity there is between the high and low ends of NFL stadium naming rights sponsorships. Five franchises are earning $5 million or less per year among the teams whose annual values are known, while 11 are at $10 million or more.
Here's a look at the 10 most valuable franchises and where they rank in terms of annual naming rights fees earned:
| Franchise | Value Rank | Sponsorship Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 1 | 2 |
| New England Patriots | 2 | T14 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 3 | 3 |
| New York Giants | 4 | T14 |
| Chicago Bears | 5 | NA |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 6 | 1 |
| New York Jets | 7 | T14 |
| Washington Commanders | 8 | 17 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 9 | 9 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10 | 8 |
While there isn't a direct correlation between franchise values and the cost of their stadium naming rights sponsorships, it's no surprise to see five of the 10 most valuable clubs also rank in the top nine in annual naming rights sponsorship value.
Sports Betting Sponsorships
While stadium naming rights get the bulk of the attention in the NFL advertising world, sports betting proliferation is garnering plenty of headlines, as well. We've seen a massive jump in partnerships between NFL franchises and the industry's best sports betting apps as more states legalize online sports betting each year.
Here's a look at the evolution of sports betting sponsorships by team since 2019:
| Franchise | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Chicago Bears | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Denver Broncos | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Detroit Lions | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Houston Texans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| LA Chargers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LA Rams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Miami Dolphins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New England Patriots | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New York Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| New York Jets | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tennessee Titans | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Washington Commanders | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 3 | 9 | 16 | 23 | 23 |
Sports betting sponsorships have grown by a whopping 667% over the previous five years, though we finally saw the number of partnerships stabilize from 2022 to 2023. Have we reached a plateau? Or is this merely a one-year pause?
The answer to that question likely runs in tandem with whether we see some any movement among notable NFL states presently without legal sports betting. The three biggest states that haven't legalized wagering (California, Texas, Florida) host a combined five NFL franchises – and all but one have yet to align with a sports betting partner.
And while Florida sports betting is finally a go via Hard Rock and the Seminole Tribe, the Dolphins haven't yet capitalized on this via a sports betting partnership.
¹ Sports Business Journal, Sept. 4, 2018; ² Sports Business Journal, Feb. 22, 2016; ³ Sportico, Aug. 9, 2022; ⁴ Dallas Morning News, July 25, 2013; ⁵ The Associated Press, Sept. 4, 2019; ⁶ Las Vegas Review-Journal, Aug. 5, 2019; ⁷ BNN Bloomberg, Sept. 15, 2019; ⁸ Yahoo! Finance, Nov. 4, 2013; ⁹ Andrew Fillipponi (Twitter/X), July 11, 2022.
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