Topline<\/p>\n
Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross told Bloomberg<\/a> on Wednesday he has received offers for the football team as high as almost $15 billion, a stark difference from the club\u2019s estimated valuation and the $1 billion he paid well over a decade ago to acquire it.<\/p>\n Ross purchased the Dolphins for $1 billion in 2009.<\/p>\n Photo by Rich Storry\/Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n Ross, speaking at a Bloomberg event in Florida, said he does not think there is a better asset than a football team, adding he does not have plans to sell the Miami Dolphins.<\/p>\n Ross, known as a real estate and sports magnate, purchased the Dolphins for around $1 billion in 2009 and sold a 13% stake in the team, F1\u2019s Miami Grand Prix and the Miami Open at an $8.1 billion valuation that year.<\/p>\n The billionaire told Bloomberg that he will maintain ownership of the team, which will be passed on to his son-in-law, Daniel Sillman, a 37-year-old sports executive and entrepreneur.<\/p>\n Ross said he believed NFL team valuations will continue rising because of the league\u2019s growing media rights presence and competition from streamers like Netflix, which aired two Christmas day games on its platform last year.<\/p>\n Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We\u2019re launching text message alerts so you’ll always know the biggest stories shaping the day\u2019s headlines. Text \u201cAlerts\u201d to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Forbes Valuation<\/p>\n We estimated the Dolphins\u2019 valuation at $7.5 billion<\/a> before the start of the 2025 NFL season, making them the 11th-most valuable team in the league and worth nearly half what Ross has supposedly been offered. The NFL\u2019s 32 teams are worth an average $7.1 billion. Ross\u2019 personal fortune is valued at $17 billion<\/a>.<\/p>\n Surprising Fact<\/p>\n Forbes estimates the Dallas Cowboys as the most valuable team in sports, worth $13 billion<\/a>.<\/p>\n Key Background<\/p>\n Ross, 85, first bought 50% of the Dolphins from Waste Management founder Wayne Huizenga in 2008 and finalized the acquisition in 2009. The 13% stake he let go of in 2024 was sold to Ares Management and Brooklyn Nets owners Joe Tsai and Oliver Weisberg. The Dolphins\u2019 was in the 1970s, when the team pulled off the only perfect season in NFL history by winning all 14 regular season games and the Super Bowl. The team won two Super Bowls that decade and made two Super Bowl appearances in the 1980s under Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino. The Dolphins have posted back-to-back losing seasons in the last two years and are searching for a new head coach after firing Mike McDaniel from the role.<\/p>\n Further Reading<\/p>\n Miami Dolphins Owner Ross Offered Close to $15 Billion for Team<\/a> (Forbes)<\/p>\n