New England Patriots literally best at getting money’s worth
The New England Patriots have a reputation for being an incredibly efficient franchise, and now there are numbers to back up the fact that they are able to get the most bang out of their buck. Whether it be letting costly veterans go for cheap, unheralded rookies or making some unexpected moves, the Patriots seem to always make the calculated move and cut out some feelings of emotion in the process for the betterment of the team. It draws the ire of other fan bases (most namely the New York Giants after they claimed Jake Ballard), but it does get results.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft before the game against the New York Jets on Thanksgiving at Metlife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Forbes recently decided to crunch the numbers to see which team gets the most wins out of the money they spend using the period from 2007 to 2011, and the New England Patriots unsurprisingly topped that list with a 154 cost-to-win ratio. The scale is adjusted to 100, so this means that the Patriots were 54% more efficient with generating wins from the money they spend than the average team, and that’s quite a remarkable statistic. The only team to beat Bill Belichick in a Super Bowl, though, was a very close second, as the New York Giants had a ratio of 150 and are also a well-run organization with the Maras, Jerry Reese, and Tom Coughlin at the helm to match Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick.
What is interesting, though, is that the Patriots have actually spent the fifth-most of any team during the time between 2007 and 2011, but the results speak for themselves. The Patriots used their money wisely by going to two Super Bowls, and Forbes notes that the Patriot won 65 games in that span. Not bad, huh? That’s only an average of 13 games per season, which really is extraordinary. It’s a shame the second-most efficient team in this study took them down both times, but the overall success and consistent commitment to excellence is not lost.
The New England Patriots are an organization that is always willing to spend on top talent, but they are cautious with how they spend it and won’t overpay based on sentimentality. The Patriots run arguably the most efficient organization in the NFL, and I would definitely agree with the Forbes study that the Patriots get the most bang for their buck.
The Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Baltimore Ravens rounded out the top five, and none of them are surprising inclusions. Whether it be Ted Thompson, Ozzie Newsome, or the Rooneys, all three organizations run excellent ships. Meanwhile, the Oakland Raiders were a not-so-surprising inclusion in the bottom five, though it was surprising to see that the St. Louis Rams were dead last with a pathetic ratio of 35 thanks to just 15 wins. Yeah, that’s three wins per year, and that means the Patriots won five times more games than the Rams between 2007 and 2011.