The folks at Forbes, who know a lot more about the business side of things than I do, have an interesting story on franchise debts and values.
This became more relevant than ever after District Court Judge David Doty ruled that the NFL can’t use the $4 billion it was counting on from television revenue as a cushion during a potential lockout. Without that money, owners could feel the lockout more than they expected and some could feel the financial heat more than others.
Overall, NFC South teams aren’t in as bad shape as some other franchises because most of them don’t have high debt/value ratios. In fact, the Atlanta Falcons are the only NFC South team that falls in a group of nine teams that has a debt/value ratio of at least 20 percent. The Falcons have the sixth-highest debt/value ratio at 33 percent.
The Saints, Panthers and Buccaneers are in much better shape when it comes to debt/value ratio. The Saints are tied for No. 9 in the league with a 13-percent ratio, while the Buccaneers are tied for No. 11 at 14 percent. The Panthers are at 18 percent.