Topline
Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross told Bloomberg on Wednesday he has received offers for the football team as high as almost $15 billion, a stark difference from the club’s estimated valuation and the $1 billion he paid well over a decade ago to acquire it.
Ross purchased the Dolphins for $1 billion in 2009.
Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images
Key Facts
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.
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’s Miami Grand Prix and the Miami Open at an $8.1 billion valuation that year.
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.
Ross said he believed NFL team valuations will continue rising because of the league’s growing media rights presence and competition from streamers like Netflix, which aired two Christmas day games on its platform last year.
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Forbes Valuation
We estimated the Dolphins’ valuation at $7.5 billion 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’s 32 teams are worth an average $7.1 billion. Ross’ personal fortune is valued at $17 billion.
Surprising Fact
Forbes estimates the Dallas Cowboys as the most valuable team in sports, worth $13 billion.
Key Background
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’ 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.
Further Reading
Miami Dolphins Owner Ross Offered Close to $15 Billion for Team (Forbes)
The NFL’s Most Valuable Teams 2025 (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2026/01/14/miami-dolphins-owner-stephen-ross-says-hes-been-offered-nearly-15-billion-for-nfl-team/
