FINANCIAL TOUCHDOWN
Janice McNair scores spot among wealthiest owners of NFL teams
Nov 26, 2019, 8:32 am
Courtesy photo
Janice McNair (pictured with husband, Bob McNair and former first lady, Barbara Bush) has an estimated worth of $ 4 billion.
The Houston Texans are at the top of their division and now, a new report reveals that owner Janice McNair is also in an elite group.
A new list, published by CNBC, finds McNair rounding out the top 10 richest billionaire owners in the National Football League. McNair, whose net worth is estimated at $4 billion, took control of the team following the death of her husband, Robert "Bob," McNair, in 2018.
Robert McNair worked as an ad salesman and struggling entrepreneur for years before founding energy company and power plant operator Cogen Technologies in 1984. The company was successful and he sold it to Enron in 1999 for $1.5 billion (two years before the latter filed for bankruptcy), notes CNBC.
That same year, McNair paid the NFL $700 million for an expansion franchise in Houston, the Texans, which is now worth $3.1 billion. Local football fans, grieving the loss of the Houston Oilers to Tennessee in 1997, were instantly grateful.
The Texans franchise is now tied for No. 22 among the most valuable sports franchises in the world.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys might be having a so-so season, but owner Jerry Jones, aside from being the fifth wealthiest resident of Texas, is tied for third richest among owners of NFL franchises.
CNBC puts Jones and Shahid Khan, owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, in the No. 3 spot. Each man's net worth is estimated at $8.5 billion, CNBC says.CNBC notes that Jones bought the Cowboys in 1989 for $140 million. In the 30 years since, the team has scored three Super Bowl victories, and its value has soared to $5.5 billion. That makes the Cowboys the most valuable team in the NFL.
McNair and Jones aren't the only Texans in the NFL billionaires club.
To find out the others, please see the rest of the story on CultureMap here.
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When Bryce Young and CJ Stroud were drafted with the first two picks of the NFL Draft, we knew they would be compared to one another for years to come.
And here we are just 11 games into the season and one quarterback has already seen his head coach fired. Panthers owner David Tepper spoke to the media on Wednesday and discussed his decision to fire Frank Reich, and also set the record straight on how they arrived at the decision to draft Young.
In so many words, Tepper basically blamed the Texans for how the top of the draft played out. He mentioned Stroud by name and said the Panthers were ready to draft him at No. 2 overall until the Texans backed out of the three-team trade with the Bears.
Tepper made a point of saying everyone in their building had Bryce Young as the top player on their draft board, despite rumors about Frank Reich preferring Stroud.
CJ Stroud and the Texans have been so much better than Bryce Young and the Panthers that Tepper clearly felt it was necessary to defend himself, and the decisions he's made for the organization.
In the end, the person that gets the worst end of the deal is Bryce Young. Coaching changes can be very difficult on young quarterbacks. And it looks like he'll have to learn a new offense in his second year when the Panthers hire a new coaching staff.
How fortunate we are as Texans fans to have DeMeco Ryans and CJ Stroud leading the team moving forward.
With all of this in mind, is there a reason Texans fans haven't fully bought in to the new-look Texans? JJ Watt was a guest on The Pat McAfee Show this week and was asked about the team's inability to fill the stadium on Sundays.
As a former player for the Colts, McAfee always thought Houston had the loudest and best fans in the NFL. And while the Texans are 9th in attendance this year according to ESPN, even CJ Stroud has asked for the fans to fill the stadium.
So there is something to it. You can see the empty seats in photos. So why aren't the Texans packing NRG with a shiny new franchise QB?
We believe the recent history of the team is why fans are slowly coming back. McAfee wasn't here for:
Bill O'Brien cussing at fans during games
Trading DeAndre Hopkins away for next to nothing
The Jack Easterby disaster
Deshaun Watson allegedly blaming ownership for why he wanted out
The Deshaun Watson scandal
Firing back-to-back coaches after one season, and the list goes on.
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