Falcons now rank among NFL's top 10 most-valuable franchises

The Atlanta Falcons have climbed into the NFL’s top 10 most-valuable franchises, now valued at $9.78 billion, according to CBS Sports. That figure represents a 39% increase from last year, pushing the team into the league’s valuation tier that includes only a handful of franchises with larger year-over-year jumps, such as the Seattle Seahawks (+46%) and the Jaguars (+42%). The Falcons remain owned by Arthur Blank, who purchased the club in February 2002 for $545 million. Seattle was recently sold for just over $9.6 billion to a part-49ers owner.