Jerry Jones' Record Purchase Of The Dallas Cowboys Has Paid Off Big Time

In 1989, Jerry Jones purchased the Dallas Cowboys for $140 million.

The sale marked the first time anybody had ever paid more than $100 million for a sports team and it came just five years after the previous owner, H. R. (Bum) Bright, had purchased the Cowboys for $60 million. But if there was any thought at the time that Jones overpaid for a team that went 3-13 the year before, that has since been erased, several-fold.

In the 2000s, the value of the Cowboys franchise hovered around 30-60% more than that of the average NFL franchise. However, over the last five years, the Cowboys valuation has nearly doubled from $1.65 billion to $3.20 billion while the average franchise has increased just 36.9% from $1.04 billion to $1.43 billion.

Jones may not be the best general manager ever, but he is doing something right as an owner.