The Athletic’s Mike Sando recently ranked all owners based on their team’s winning percentage since they took over, and Art Rooney II came in third with a .613 winning percentage since assuming majority ownership of the Steelers in 2017.
Sando wrote that some “ownership situations are difficult to evaluate for reasons such as owners allowing their offspring to operate their teams. I’ve used simple criteria in ranking owners from worst to best win rates…” That’s why, for example, Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris, who assumed ownership of the team ahead of this season, is in last with Washington at 4-9.
It’s more of a ranking of team success under a certain owner. To no one’s surprise, Robert Kraft came in at No. 1 with a .666 winning percentage, while Gayle Benson, who assumed control of the New Orleans Saints following the death of her husband, Tom, in 2018, ranks second with a .528 winning percentage.
Former Steelers minority owners bring up the rear of the list, as Harris is No. 32, Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper is No. 30, while Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam came in at No. 29. Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan was No. 31.
Just going off winning percentage is why someone like Khan, who took over a moribund Jacksonville franchise and, through trial and error, has made the team a contender, ranks so low. He’s not a great owner, but he’s also certainly not the second-worst in the NFL, and at this point, it’s hard to argue anyone but Tepper is the worst owner in football.
Rooney placing third here does show the stability and consistency of the Steelers, but you know what’s missing since Rooney took over? A playoff win. That’s the ultimate indicator of success, and the Steelers don’t have one. The Jaguars, do, though. So while the Steelers regular season success has been notable, it’s not really something to celebrate when this team can’t find a way to win in the postseason.
We’ll see if the Steelers can finally get that much-needed playoff win for the first time since 2016 soon, but it’s going to take a lot for it to happen this season.
The top five was rounded out by Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti at no. 4 and Seattle Seahawks owner Jody Allen coming in at No. 5. Owners in the AFC North placed No. 3 (Rooney), No. 4 (Bisciotti), No. 24 (Mike Brown) and No. 29 (Haslam). It’s fitting that Pittsburgh and Baltimore are right next to each other on the list just because of how similar both teams have been over the years as they fight for AFC North supremacy.
