Despite last season’s record of 7-9-1 and this season’s opening loss to the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys remain the NFL’s golden team.

CNBC’s annual ranking of the NFL’s most valuable franchises once again puts the Cowboys at No. 1. Jerry Jones’ team is worth an estimated $16 billion based on 2025 figures, up from $12.5 billion the previous year. Just as noteworthy: The ’Boys were the only team to break the $1 billion mark for revenue, pulling in nearly $1.3 billion last year.

Jones, the team’s owner, president, and general manager, has practically transformed the Cowboys into an ATM. He bought the team in 1989 for only $150 million. Based on CNBC’s $16 billion estimate, the team’s value has jumped 10,567 percent over more than three decades.

In a 2016 interview with CNBC, Jones explained why he purchased the ’Boys: “I bought the Cowboys because I just wanted to be associated with sports and football. And I didn’t buy them for money.”

Two years later, Jones told Bloomberg that no amount of money would ever persuade him to sell the team.

“They’re a long-term asset, and my immediate family — which has been a part of making them what they are today — [will] own the Cowboys long after I’m gone,” he said.

Jerry Jones has good reason to give a thumbs up. Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

The Cowboys make up just one component of Jones’ vast wealth. He also holds investments in the energy, real estate, hospitality and restaurant sectors. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimates his net worth at $20.9 billion.

Behind the Cowboys on CNBC’s most-valuable roster are the Los Angeles Rams, at $14.5 billion; Las Vegas Raiders, $13 billion; New York Giants, $12.5 billion; and New England Patriots, $12.25 billion.

What about the Cowboys’ archrival, the Philadelphia Eagles? With an estimated value of $11.5 billion, the Eagles roost at No. 8, according to CNBC.

And the Lone Star State’s other NFL team, the Houston Texans, sits at No. 15 with an estimated value of $9.9 billion.