All 32 NFL Owners Ranked From The League’s Biggest Disaster To No. 1 For The 2026 Season
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
The owners of NFL teams are multibillionaires who control their professional franchises, decide who to hire for the coaching staff, and determine how the team is funded.
Some owners take a hands-on approach, while others let their coaches and general managers do most of the work in a hands-off approach.
Who are the top-ranking owners in the NFL today?
32) Michael Bidwill (Arizona Cardinals)
Bidwill earns the bottom spot of the ranking due to his dysfunctional management, being cheap and unethical, and poor hiring decisions.
The hiring of Mike LaFleur was good, but the 2026 season looks very bleak for the Cardinals, as the team has no long-term solution at quarterback.
On top of that, Bidwill has had a history of scandals, including being accused of using burner phones to communicate with then-GM Steve Keim when he was suspended for a DUI and alleged widespread bullying and harassment.
31) Woody and Chris Johnson (New York Jets)
The Johnson brothers have generated numerous negative headlines and have overseen the Jets experience the longest playoff drought in the league.
The Johnsons hit the nail on the head with the worst stereotypes of a bad owner by meddling with NFL affairs, arrogantly assuming they know more about what goes on the field than the players do, and throwing players and coaches under the bus.
The NFLPA also announced that the Jets were amongst the worst teams before Johnson and other owners pushed to have the grading process shut down due to being sensitive to feedback.
30) Jimmy Haslam (Cleveland Browns)
Jimmy Haslam has owned the Browns since 2012, and they’ve only seen the team reach the playoffs twice in their ownership.
However, he’s locked him and the team into Deshaun Watson’s contract extension, which has hurt the Browns from signing guys for much-needed positions and has held them back from returning to the playoffs.
29) Mike Brown (Cincinnati Bengals)
Although the Bengals’ franchise is now worth about $7.4 billion, Brown’s ownership has been near the bottom of the barrel due to being budget-conscious compared to other owners in the league.
Not to mention, Brown has been criticized for not expanding the team’s scouting department and has received low grades from the NFLPA for not investing in the team’s facility.
Despite the cheapness, Brown has overseen Joe Burrow play some outstanding football when healthy.
28) Amy Adams Strunk (Tennessee Titans)
Strunk is regarded as one of the worst owners in the NFL, having made some questionable moves, including firing general manager Jon Robinson in 2022 and Mike Vrabel in 2023.
She and the Titans are recovering from the Ran Carthon and Brian Callahan era with the hiring of Robert Saleh as head coach in 2026 and Mike Borgonzi in 2025, respectively, and moving forward with Cam Ward on the field.
27) Stephen Ross (Miami Dolphins)
Ross took over the Dolphins in 2009 and hasn’t turned the page under his ownership, as they’ve lost in the playoffs three times under his watch. The team hasn’t won a playoff game since 2000.
Ross’ personnel decisions haven’t been any better, as the most successful coach he’s hired was Mike McDaniel, who was fired after the 2025 season.
The Dolphins have also stripped down the roster for the 2026 season to potentially tank for a high draft pick.
26) Mark Davis (Las Vegas Raiders)
Davis’ father, the late Al Davis, was a legend in his prime years as owner of this NFL team. However, Mark has not lived up to his father’s expectations, as the team made the playoffs twice and lost both times.
On top of that, Davis has had eight head coaches since he inherited the team in 2011, not including interim coaches.
Davis has brought Tom Brady into the fold as a minority owner, hoping that the GOAT’s brilliance can help turn things around internally for the organization.
25) David Tepper (Carolina Panthers)
Ever since Tepper became an owner, he’s talked the talk, but wasn’t able to walk the walk, as the team struggled in his early years. Not to mention, Tepper was involved in a 2023 scandal in which he threw a drink at a fan.
The 2025 season saw the Panthers persevere with some success, thanks to Dave Canales’ coaching and Bryce Young’s improved performance.
24) Shad Khan (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Khan means well as an owner, but he has had a hard time translating his success in business into the team’s product on the field.
Sure, the Jaguars made the playoffs three times under his leadership and made the AFC Championship game once, but he’s gone through six different head coaches during his tenure as owner. We hope Liam Coen sticks around long-term and creates a winning culture on the field.
23) George McCaskey (Chicago Bears)
McCaskey inherited the Bears from his late mother, Virginia Halas McCaskey, and has leaned hard on team president Kevin Warren to make football decisions.
McCaskey has witnessed Ben Johnson resurrect the team’s offense and get the best out of Caleb Williams during the 2025 season, including making the playoffs and winning a playoff game. We’ll see what happens in 2026 in year two of McCaskey’s ownership.
22) John Mara (New York Giants)
Ever since Super Bowl XLVI, the Giants have been a chaotic mess in the NFL, delivering mixed results under owner John Mara.
They’ve made the playoffs twice since winning the Super Bowl in the 2011 season and have shuffled through five different head coaches since Tom Coughlin resigned in January 2016.
Fans are hoping John Harbaugh will save the franchise during the 2026 season and return it to being a respectable team in the league.
21) Dean Spanos (Los Angeles Chargers)
Spanos had a reputation for being cheap as an NFL owner. However, when the team moved to Los Angeles in 2017, he took a hands-off approach, letting his sons run the team, as Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh have joined the fold.
The team has reached the playoffs in 2024 and 2025, but hasn’t moved past the Wildcard Round since the 2018 season. The team must do what it can to earn Herbert his first playoff win.
20) Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys)
Although the Cowboys are technically the most valuable sports franchise in the world, the on-field product hasn’t reflected that since the team last appeared in Super Bowl XXX.
Jones’ Cowboys haven’t made it past the divisional round of the playoffs in decades; he embraces controversy by saying there’s no such thing as bad publicity, dragging his feet on high-profile deals for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, and trading away fan-favorite Micah Parsons to the Packers when contract talks between the two collapsed.
19) Gayle Benson (New Orleans Saints)
Benson may have seen the Saints struggle in the post-Drew Brees era, but the team has been making some nice moves recently with the hiring of Kellen Moore and drafting Tyler Shough.
The team hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2020 season. However, when it comes to spending big to get the franchise moving in the right direction, she’s not afraid to do so.
18) Cal McNair (Houston Texans)
McNair became the owner of this NFL team after his father, Bob McNair, passed away. He didn’t make a good first impression when his team struggled in the early 2020s, as he dealt with the Deshaun Watson debacle and the firing of Bill O’Brien.
However, hiring DeMeco Ryans and having the league’s best defense has been a home run for the team, as they’ve been a relevant playoff contender.
17) Arthur Blank (Atlanta Falcons)
People have stated how great it is to work with Blank, and how he doesn’t typically meddle with football people.
The Falcons have won the NFC South four times and made the playoffs eight times since Blank became the owner. However, his patience has started to wane in his later years, firing Raheem Morris after the 2025 season and hiring Kevin Stefanski in 2026.
16) Carlie Irsay-Gordon (Indianapolis Colts)
Ever since Jim Irsay passed away, Irsay-Gordon has been training herself to run the team by immersing herself in football operations and trying to understand how to operate a team as an owner. She went viral in 2025 for wearing a coach’s headset on the sidelines during games.
Unlike her father, she’s given general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen another chance for the 2026 season rather than being impulsive and firing them after the team collapsed in 2025.
15) Zygi Wilf (Minnesota Vikings)
Wilf has owned the Vikings since 2005 and has seen the team reach the NFC Championship Game twice.
As an NFL owner, Wilf has invested heavily in the team, building a new stadium that opened in 2016, but the on-field product has been a mixed bag, with the team playing well one year and poorly the next. The team is still trying to find that franchise savior who’ll bring them to a Super Bowl.
14) Bryan, Edward, and Joel Glazer (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
The Glazer brothers oversaw the team’s transition from being a team that missed the playoffs to winning Super Bowl LV by signing Tom Brady in 2020.
Ever since TB12 retired from playing, the Bucs made the playoffs with Baker Mayfield in 2023 and 2024, but missed the playoffs in 2025. They have since returned to being money-conscious, as Mike Evans left in free agency, and contract talks with Baker Mayfield have stalled.
13) Josh Harris (Washington Commanders)
Harris’ time owning the Commanders hasn’t been long, but he oversaw the franchise reach the 2024-25 NFC Championship Game, something Dan Snyder was never able to accomplish as owner of the team.
Things didn’t go to plan in the 2025 season, as the team dealt with numerous injuries, including to quarterback Jayden Daniels. We’ll just have to see what the 2026 season brings us.
12) Terry Pegula (Buffalo Bills)
Pegula bought the franchise after Ralph Wilson passed away in 2014, and he has overseen the Bills’ return to playoff contention, but they still haven’t reached that elusive Super Bowl under his ownership yet.
Pegula fired head coach Sean McDermott after numerous playoff heartbreaks and replaced him with Joe Brady. We’ll see how he does under Pegula’s ownership for the 2026 NFL season.
11) Jody Allen (Seattle Seahawks)
Allen oversaw the team’s conquest in Super Bowl LX with head coach Mike Macdonald and Sam Darnold leading the way on the field, as an incredible send-off for her family’s ownership.
The team is being sold to Vinod Khosla and his family for $9.612 billion. The owners will vote on the team’s ownership transaction on August 26, pending the league’s finance committee review.
10) Art Rooney II (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Rooney II has maintained one of the most historic NFL franchises with great success over the years, as the team’s president and owner, witnessing the team win two Super Bowls.
However, ever since he became the owner in 2017, the team hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season. Not to mention, Rooney II has hired Mike McCarthy, the team’s fourth head coach since 1968. We’ll see how McCarthy does under Rooney II’s watch in 2026.
9) Sheila Ford Hamp (Detroit Lions)
Hamp hasn’t been in the ownership position for that long, but she’s witnessed the Lions establish a winning formula under head coach Dan Campbell and GM Brad Holmes.
Sure, the Lions missed the playoffs in 2025, but they’ve accumulated four straight winning seasons under Hamp’s ownership. We just hope the Lions can rebound in the 2026 season.
8) Jed York (San Francisco 49ers)
York experienced some rocky moments during his ownership of the 49ers, and saw some success under Jim Harbaugh in the early 2010s and Kyle Shanahan since the late 2010s.
Under York’s ownership, the 49ers have reached three Super Bowls, but lost them all. Despite those Super Bowl losses, York’s ownership has shown that teams can improve over time.
7) Packers President Ed Policy
The Packers are a unique team in the NFL, being publicly owned by fan shareholders. However, they have a team president, Ed Policy, who has held the position since 2025 after Mark Murphy retired.
Policy got to see the Packers go to the playoffs, but the team lost to their longtime rivals, the Bears, in the Wildcard Round.
However, Policy has also been with the team since 2012 and oversaw them reach the NFC Championship Game four times. The Packers must return to playing championship football in the 2026 season under Policy’s watch.
6) Steve Bisciotti (Baltimore Ravens)
The Ravens have become one of the steadiest and best-run teams under Steve Bisciotti’s ownership, winning Super Bowl XLVII under his watch.
The Ravens have maintained their fierce defensive mentality spanning decades. We’ll have to see if he caught lightning in a bottle hiring Jesse Minter as the team’s next head coach.
5) Clark Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs)
Even though the Chiefs missed the playoffs in 2025, Hunt has witnessed the team go from a playoff contender to a Super Bowl dynasty with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes taking charge on the field.
Hunt will likely see the Chiefs return to playoff contention in 2026, as the team looks to rebound after a rough 2025 season.
4) Rob Walton (Denver Broncos)
When Walton purchased the Broncos in 2022, the team saw a couple of rough seasons with Russell Wilson under center.
In 2023, Sean Payton was hired as head coach; then Bo Nix was drafted in 2024, and the team is back in playoff contention. However, if Nix didn’t injure his ankle in the AFC Divisional Round, they might’ve punched their ticket to the Super Bowl. We can’t wait to see what the Broncos do in 2026.
3) Stan Kronke (Los Angeles Rams)
Kronke has turned the Rams from a forgettable team into a winning powerhouse with the hiring of Sean McVay, resulting in two Super Bowl appearances and winning Super Bowl LVI in February 2022.
Kronke may be hands-off as an NFL owner, but the moves McVay and GM Les Snead have made have been jaw-dropping and positive for the franchise.
2) Robert Kraft (New England Patriots)
Kraft oversaw the Patriots becoming a super-dynasty in the 2000s and 2010s, and a brief transition away from Tom Brady and Bill Belichick to bringing the winning formula back with Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye.
It should be incredibly exciting to see what happens in year two of Vrabel’s tenure as head coach under Kraft’s watch.
1) Jeffrey Lurie (Philadelphia Eagles)
Lurie has been regarded as one of the best at hiring personnel for the Eagles, as it has resulted in victories from the Andy Reid years to Doug Pederson winning the team’s first Super Bowl and Nick Sirianni winning the team’s second.
Lurie is willing to spend big bucks to make the Eagles a contender and has arguably the best general manager in football in Howie Roseman. It should be interesting to see what the Eagles do in 2026.
