Ranking NFC owners within each division

Many important factors are involved in fielding a great team in the NFL, from scouting and drafting to player development and coaching. However, perhaps the most important factor is quality ownership. A bad owner can sink a franchise, while a good one can help a team soar.

Ahead of the league's annual owners' meetings in Palm Beach, Florida (March 30-April 2), Yardbarker NFL writers rank the owners within each NFC division. 

2024 regular-season records are in parentheses.

1. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (14-3)  | Jeffrey Lurie | The two-time Super Bowl winner and Philadelphia’s favorite owner clearly has bragging rights over the rest of the division. Since 1994, when Lurie bought the team, the Eagles are 286-228-3 with 19 playoff appearances, eight trips to the NFC Championship Game and four Super Bowl appearances (including wins over Tom Brady’s Patriots in 2017 and Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs in 2024).

2. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (12-5) | Josh Harris | In two years under Harris’ leadership, the Commanders have a .750 winning percentage, two playoff wins and made it to the conference championship game with rookie QB Jayden Daniels last season. Off the field, Harris' team ranked 11th in the NFLPA's 2025 report card survey after finishing last in 2023 and 2024.

3. DALLAS COWBOYS (7-10) | Jerry Jones | With three Super Bowl championships and a 335-276 record in 36 years with the team, Jones would easily top the list if not for his penchant for inane comments and his suffocating presence as owner, president and GM. The Cowboys haven’t been to a Super Bowl since the 1995 season, and as long as Jones makes himself the story, the ending will not be good for Dallas and its fans.

4. NEW YORK GIANTS (3-14) | John Mara | Since taking over as president and CEO in 2005, Mara’s Giants are 147-176-1 in the regular season and have just two playoff appearances since 2012. New York scored upset wins over New England in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI, but Mara (and co-owner Steve Tisch) needs fresh ideas, not washed-up QBs like recently signed Russell Wilson. — Bruce Ewing

NFC West

1. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (6-11) | John and Denise DeBartolo York | Things did not go well for the 49ers during the 2024 season, and some of their big-money investments failed to pan out as hoped, but there is no denying ownership’s willingness to invest money in the roster, coaching staff and facilities. The 49ers are one of the NFL’s elite teams over the past six years, and that sort of sustained success typically starts at the top. 

2. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (10-7) | Paul Allen Trust | There is a clear gap in the NFC West between the best ownership (San Francisco) and the rest of the pack. Of the other three teams, the Seahawks get a slight edge, mostly because the 2025 NFLPA survey gave them high marks for treatment of player’s families and creating a positive culture with strong food/diet resources and a good locker room. 

3. LOS ANGELES RAMS (10-7) | Stan Kroenke | The good news for the Rams and their fans is the team has been mostly successful since moving back to Los Angeles in 2016 and plays in one of the league’s top stadiums. The bad news, from a player’s perspective, is ownership has seemingly skimped on amenities, ranging from the locker room to training facilities based on the 2025 NFLPA survey. 

4. ARIZONA CARDINALS (8-9) | Michael Bidwill | Cardinals head coaches, GMs and players often change, but the only thing that does not change from a big-picture perspective is the on-field results. So the Cardinals remain, at best, a mediocre franchise. The only constant throughout their existence is an ownership that is widely regarded as one of the worst in the NFL. The 2025 NFLPA survey was a poor reflection on Bidwill. — Adam Gretz

NFC North

1. DETROIT LIONS (15-2) | Sheila Ford Hamp | Hamp’s first major decisions after taking over the Lions in 2020 were hiring GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell, and what brilliant moves those turned out to be. In just five years, Hamp helped turn the Lions from a team that hadn’t won a playoff game in more than 30 years into one of the best rosters in the NFL.

2. GREEN BAY PACKERS (11-6) | Green Bay Packers, Inc. | The Packers are tough to rank considering they’re a publicly owned, non-profit corporation run by the board of directors and owned by the fans. Even with its unique ownership structure, Green Bay has won four Super Bowls and used only three main starting quarterbacks since 1992 (Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love).

3. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (14-3) | Zygi Wilf | The Vikings have won double-digit games eight times since the Wilf family took over in 2005, but they’ve reached only two NFC title games and haven’t made a Super Bowl in that span. Minnesota fans are scarred from their team’s 0-4 record in Super Bowls, but Wilf has the right man in place in HC Kevin O’Connell to end that drought.

4. CHICAGO BEARS (5-12) | The Halas/McCaskey family | Chicago’s ownership structure has been a mess for years, but maybe George McCaskey can turn the franchise around following principal owner Virginia Halas McCaskey’s death in February 2025 at 102. The Bears have made the playoffs only six times in the past 30 years, so it’s no wonder fans are constantly clamoring for a sale of the team. — Jack Dougherty

NFC South

1. ATLANTA FALCONS (8-9) | Arthur Blank | The league’s second-best owner per the NFLPA 2025 report cards, Blank ranked third in “perceived willingness to invest in [team] facilities,” and players unequivocally stated their belief that the 24-year Falcons owner “significantly contributes to a positive team culture” and “is extremely committed to building a competitive team.” The 2024 Falcons Ring of Honor inductee has also contributed to a positive off-the-field fan experience at home games with the NFL’s most affordable concessions options, including $2 hot dogs, pretzels and sodas and $3 nachos.

2. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (10-7) | Glazer family | Malcolm Glazer, who died in 2014 at 85, passed the two-time Super Bowl-winning franchise on to his children, daughter Darcie S. Glazer Kassewitz and sons Avram, Kevin, Bryan, Joel and Edward. While they’ve experienced on-field success, players don’t believe ownership is why, with the Glazers receiving a D+ and ranking 27th of 32 NFL owners in the NFLPA’s 2025 team report cards.

3. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (5-12) | Gayle Benson | Benson, who became the team’s sole owner following the death of her husband, Tom Benson, has declared a willingness to make the necessary investments for the Saints to be a contender. However, her faith in the franchise’s front-office brain trust, led by longtime GM Mickey Loomis and president Dennis Lauscha, is concerning based on the team’s diminishing returns throughout the 2020s. 

4. CAROLINA PANTHERS (5-12) | David Tepper | The longtime hedge-fund manager has made a horrible first impression as owner, with the franchise tied with the Jets for the NFL’s worst record (36-80) since Tepper purchased the team in 2018. From meddling in personnel decisions to steamrolling through seven head coaches (including interim) in seven seasons, the Panthers have gotten worse under Tepper, who is still best known for throwing a drink at a Jaguars fan during a 2023 loss in Jacksonville. — Eric Smithling