The NFL payrolls per win, salaries per win, cost per win – however you think about it – is a simple calculation to determine how efficient each of the 32 NFL GM’s are at getting the best bang for their buck. This is the last season that these numbers will be particularly interesting because next year, all teams will be required to spend at least 90% of the salary cap (which will prevent outliers like the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs from spending much less than the NFL average).
NFL salaries and cap space are not always straightforward calculations as teams can manipulate these, and in some cases, are paying for former GMs, etc. I have trusted USA Today, the NFL, and salary cap space vs. salary calculations to provide the most reasonable NFL cost per win numbers as possible.
You may also be interested in reviewing the 2012 NFL Salaries by Team and 2011 NFL Cost Per Win infographic.
This year, we have made the NFL payrolls per win data fully interactive. To use (1) Select a season from 2008-2012 at the top and (2) Click a team name once to see five year trends and their performance against NFL benchmarks.
NFL Payrolls Per Win 2008-2012
By Ryan Sleeper+.