The Seattle Seahawks are the NFL’s latest franchise to be put up for sale and bought. The number was staggering – $9.6 billion to the Khosla family and partners. It more than doubles what the Denver Broncos sold for just four years ago and dwarfs the $6.05 billion mark the Washington Commanders brought back in 2023.
The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t for sale. They never have been and may never be. The Rooney family intends to hold control of the franchise for the foreseeable future.
In a hypothetical world where the Steelers were put up for sale, what would the franchise be worth? Say the process began tomorrow. Would Pittsburgh garner more than Seattle?
Forbes latest figure slots the Steelers at a $6.5 billion valuation. That came last August. At the same time, the outlet placed a $6.7 billion valuation on the Seahawks. Their sale blew that number out of the water. At the same rate, that would assume Pittsburgh comes in a little under that $9.6 billion mark.
But every sale seems to top the last. Pittsburgh also has rich history and a die-hard football market even if Seattle has a much larger population (18th in the USA) compared to Pittsburgh (68th). The chance to buy a team that has never gone up for sale is obviously a rare one and could increase the Steelers’ value beyond projections and expectations.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to think Pittsburgh is worth $10 billion. The next franchise to be sold will likely command as much.
In a world where the Steelers are selling, who’s buying? The possibilities feel endless, and it would likely be a group of people as opposed to just an individual. Still, these groups always have a face and central figure.
Could that be Mark Cuban, a Pittsburgh native who has teased the chance to buy the Pittsburgh Pirates if Bob Nutting ever sold? Cuban sold controlling interest in the Dallas Mavericks. He later regretted who he sold the team to, not the sale itself, but sounded like someone itching to get back in control of a team.
What about Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam? Once a minority owner in the Steelers, NFL rules mandated he sold his stake in the team after buying the Browns in 2012. He could try to buy the Steelers and sell the Browns, reducing his overall cost. The thought of Cleveland’s owner taking over Pittsburgh is enough to send shivers down a fan’s spine, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Haslam had interest.
Edward Stack served as Dick’s Sporting Goods’ chairman for decades and moved the company’s headquarters to Pittsburgh. He also once sat on the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He’s in his 70s but he could be Pittsburgh’s figurehead while someone younger took the title of President.
One internal option is Thomas Tull. A current Steelers’ minority owner, Forbes estimates his net worth at over $5 billion. He would likely jump at the chance to buy the team and the Rooneys may feel most comfortable selling to someone they know well like Tull.
The exercise is academic. There’s no reason to believe the Steelers would sell anytime soon – or ever. When Art Rooney II steps down from his post, Daniel Martin Rooney is likely to take his place. The transition will be kept in-house just as it was from Art Sr. to Dan to Art II. But it’s interesting to think about what Pittsburgh would command if a ‘For Sale’ sign ever got hung up on the building.
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