You may think every NFL team that plays in a stadium does so without paying anything, but you would be wrong. The vast majority pay substantial rent just to play there every year.
There are currently around seven teams in the league that pay very little or nothing at all, while many others pay six figures or more.
A recent breakdown shows which teams pay the most and least amount of rent to the stadium they play in and the numbers are quite staggering.
Two NFL teams, the Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers, pay only $1 in rent, while the Ravens, Bengals, Raiders, Commanders, and Rams pay $0 in rent.
How much each #NFL team pays in stadium rent every year. 🏟 pic.twitter.com/VhLCZUuk4j
— Tyler Webb (@tylermwebb) October 24, 2024
Here is a complete breakdown of just a few of the teams, per The Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Buffalo Bills
Stadium: New Era Field
Opened: 1973
Team annual rent cost: $800,000
Miami Dolphins
Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium
Opened: 1987
Team annual rent cost: Zero
New England Patriots
Stadium: Gillette Stadium
Opened: 2002
Team annual rent cost: Estimated $2 million-$3 million.
New York Jets
Stadium: MetLife Stadium
Opened: 2010
Team annual rent cost: $2.5 million co-pay with New York Giants
Cleveland Browns
Stadium: FirstEnergy Stadium
Opened: 1999
Team annual rent cost: $250,000
NFL Team Owners May Pay Rent But Get Away With Other Expenses
Most sports facilities are owned publicly with the team owner having a master lease.
NFL stadiums are not privately owned, which means the team owner doesn’t have to pay property taxes.
A team like the Baltimore Ravens may have $0 in rent, but it does have to pay all utility and maintenance costs, plus the salaries of all stadium workers, including stadium authority personnel.
Then you have teams that share stadiums, like the New York Giants and New York Jets, who share MetLife Stadium, and the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams, who share SoFi Stadium.
