Ranking all 32 NFL owners by likability

http://gty.im/452909498

20. Martha Ford, Detroit Lions

• Seasons owned:      52 (9^th)
• Win percentage:      0.458 (25^th)
• Playoff rate:              21.2% (24^th)
• Championship rate: 0.0% (17^th)
• Net worth ($bn):       1.38 (22^nd)
• Franchise growth:    9^th
• Investment Factor:   23^rd
• Gut check:                  17^th

Ford’s late husband, William Clay Ford, was a grandson of Henry himself—and for much of William Clay’s tenure as Lions owner, the Lions were built down to a price, not up to a quality. Run to be profitable first and competitive if they happen to get lucky, the rarely seen and never-heard-from Ford was one of the least popular owners in the NFL.

Late in life, Ford turned around: He returned the team to downtown Detroit in an excellent facility, cut some massive checks for free agents and top draft picks, and turned the operation over to a football lifer who would demand winning over everything else.

The only problem: That man was Matt Millen.

Millen’s executive tenure was the most disastrous in NFL history. When Ford passed in 2014, his Lions were no closer to a championship than they’d ever been. Martha Firestone Ford, his widow, was no less aloof—until the middle of this season, when she held a press conference announcing she’d fired the teams executive staff. What happens next is an open question, as the next generation of Fords jockey for positions within the organization, and the Lions search for a new football man to run the joint.

Her ranking here sags under the weight of her husband’s legacy. But as one of two female principal owners, Martha’s already proved she takes winning more seriously than most in the boys’ club—and that’s pretty darn likeable.

 

http://gty.im/155156075

19. Tom Benson, New Orleans Saints

• Seasons owned:      31 (15^th)
• Win percentage:      0.511   (15^th)
• Playoff rate:              32.3%  (17^th)
• Championship rate: 3.2% (15^th)
• Net worth ($bn):       2.2 (17^th)
• Franchise growth:    17^th
• Investment Factor:   12^th
• Gut check:                  27^th

It’s unfortunately impossible to separate Benson, who sadly is in poor health, from the current family turmoil surrounding the franchise’s succession plan. The cold equations of Benson’s tenure put him right down the middle: Decades of futility capped by a long streak of success, including a glorious Super Bowl victory.

The glory of that victory, and what it meant to the hurricane-devastated city of New Orleans, can’t possibly be overstated. Yet, Benson’s attempts to move the team to San Antonio in the wake of Hurricane Katrina were roundly, loudly and correctly reviled. Ultimately he stayed, helped rebuild, and the post-Katrina Saints have been an inspiration. But that on-field era of success appears to be over, and great uncertainty currently hangs over the fate of the team—and Benson’s legacy.

 

http://gty.im/185103615

18. Jeffery Lurie, Philadelphia Eagles

• Seasons owned:      22 (18^th)
• Win percentage:      0.55 (7^th)
• Playoff rate:              54.5% (3^rd)
• Championship rate: 0.0% (22^nd)
• Net worth ($bn):       1.64 (21^st)
• Franchise growth:    18^th
• Investment Factor:   24^th
• Gut check:                  12^th

Lurie’s wealthy enough to be an effective owner without being self-aggrandizingly, distractingly loaded; he replaced a beloved old death trap of a stadium with an attractive, modern facility. He’s active, without being meddling. He hires good football guys and gets out of their way. He gives his executives and coaches plenty of leash; if anything he’s a little too loose on the reins. His tenure as owner revived a floundering franchise and turned them into a perennial playoff squad—but playoffs, and no better.

There’s the rub. In the demanding Philadelphia market, Lurie’s patience, combined with his inability to build a champion, makes him an easy target—but there are a lot of NFL fanbases that would love to have an owner like Lurie. It’s mostly the financials (lack of crazy money, slow franchise growth in a big market) that hurt him.

 

http://gty.im/461907752

17. Woody Johnson, New York Jets

• Seasons owned:      16 (24^th)
• Win percentage:      0.488 (20^th)
• Playoff rate:              37.5% (11^th)
• Championship rate: 0.0% (31^st)
• Net worth ($bn):       3.5 (11^th)
• Franchise growth:    13^th
• Investment Factor:   5^th
• Gut check:                  22^nd

Johnson is not a wildly popular owner in New York. He’s got money and he’s not afraid to spend it, but he’s struggled to find and hire executives who can get on-field results. Though he doesn’t come across as exceptionally wise when it comes to spending football money, he seems to finally have the right people in place. As always, winning cures everything—and if Todd Bowles can keep the Jets nipping at the Patriots’ heels, Johnson will keep rising on this list.

 

http://gty.im/77258583

16. Bud Adams/Trust, Tennessee Titans

• Seasons owned:      57 (6^th)
• Win percentage:      0.48 (21^st)
• Playoff rate:              36.8% (12^th)
• Championship rate: 3.5% (14^th)
• Net worth ($bn):       1.2 (25^th)
• Franchise growth:    7^th
• Investment Factor:   29^th
• Gut check:                  16^th

As with each of the family trust-owned teams, the Bud Adams trust (executed by Tommy and Susie Smith, Amy Adams Hunt and Kenneth S. Adams IV) was given a median Gut check rank of 16^th.

In life, Adams’ brashness, irascibility and repeated disloyalty to the city of Houston matured into a kind of lovable curmdgeonliness by the end of his life in 2013. Though he oversaw periods of great success in both Houston and Tennessee, the Titans were a mess when he passed away—and are basically a mess plus Marcus Mariota now.

The trust’s status in these rankings is boosted by Adams’ longevity, as well as the inflation of the franchise’s value through the successful relocation and stadium construction.

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING >>>