As in life, the NFL teams with the most money have a big advantage over the rest of the pack – even with the salary cap. But having money and knowing what to do with it are two different things.

Jerry Jones seems to know what he’s doing. His Dallas Cowboys became the richest franchise in all of pro sports last year, according to Forbes magazine. They moved up from third in the NFL rankings thanks to their new stadium, which will open in 2009. That’s $325 million going from the pockets of Arlington taxpayers into the franchise, bumping its value up to $1.5 billion.

The Washington Redskins used to top the rankings; they’re second now at a mere $1.467 billion. FedExField is only 11 years old, but owner Dan Snyder was reportedly talking to D.C. officials last year about building on top of old RFK Stadium. Maybe someday Snyder will figure out how to turn those profits into a good football team.