It all falls on the owner

[BengalChris]

For all of those who think Mikey Brown is a smart business man, I'd like to point out that it would be almost impossible in today's NFL for a team to lose money. That's how the game is rigged.

The salary cap, TV deals and revenue sharing all make for a competitive financial setting where every team can afford good players and still leave the owner with lots to put in his pocket. This is what makes the Bengals worth so much. It wasn't worth much (in terms of sports franchises) back after Mikey destroyed the team and drove it into the dirt for more than a decade in the 90s and early 2000s.