Patriots have NFL's priciest 2023-24 ticket thus far; Buccaneers' prices plunge (2024)

The New England Patriots might be in the unfamiliar position of fighting for relevance within their division, but a few days into the ticket-selling season, they rank as the most expensive average ducat in the NFL, according to secondary ticketing platforms.

And as of Monday, New England’s season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 10, when it will honor the legendary Tom Brady, is easily the priciest ticket to any of the NFL’s 272 regular-season games. On one platform, TickPick, the average-priced ticket to that game would set a fan back $1,176 — 96 percent higher than the second most expensive contest: the Pittsburgh Steelers’ visit to Las Vegas on Sept. 24. (The disparity between the games was 49 percent on Vivid Seats.)

The schedule, released last week, is now a made-for-TV event and the latest ingredient in the NFL content factory, with clubs producing humorous videos revealing their game dates. But it’s also when single-game tickets go on sale and fans can begin selling and buying all tickets with the game locations and times established.

Ticket prices are largely higher than last year — with a dramatic decline in Tampa Bay being one of the exceptions — and demand is strong. This despite economic headwinds that should stress consumers.

“What’s wild is we have this fear of a white-collar recession, we have cutbacks across businesses on tickets, which is already occurring. … There is a significant belt-tightening across the people who buy the most expensive tickets for sporting events right now, and we’re having those conversations, and it is happening,” said Tony Knopp, whose TicketsNow manages tickets for 600 corporate clients and venues. Except for the NFL, “they’re canceling season tickets, they’re canceling tickets, they are looking for ways to cut costs, etc.,” he said. “When we go talk to the major players, when we go talk to the people who are spending the big bucks there, even though they’re cutting everything else, they are doubling down on the NFL.”

According to SeatGeek, the average ticket price of an NFL game so far is $331, up from $307 last year at this time. That is still below the $411 figure in 2021, a frothy year for live events as pandemic restrictions eased, SeakGeek data shows. In 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, the figure was $258, according to SeatGeek.

While the Patriots’ average ticket price of $560, according to TickPick, is certainly inflated by the honoring of Brady at the opener against the NFC champs, the team is still a draw, outpacing last year’s hottest squad (by ticket price), the Las Vegas Raiders, who have the second-priciest ticket at $468. SeatGeek shows the two hottest home games are the Eagles at the Pats followed by the Kansas City Chiefs visiting Gillette Stadium.

Tickets remain a popular commodity in Las Vegas, notwithstanding the team’s struggles and turmoil. Three to six of the top 10 ticket-priced games depending on the platform are Vegas home games, a reflection that away fans are pairing their travel with a visit to the gambling mecca.

That said, TickPick’s Kyle Zorn detects an ever-so-subtle softening of the intense demand seen in the first two seasons in which Allegiant Stadium has allowed fans.

“It’s not nearly as crazy, but the demand is still pretty high,” said Zorn, the platform’s content strategy lead. “We see a lot of volume for Las Vegas, and it’s a lot of the time from the other franchise’s fan base flying out. But yeah, they’re still a hot ticket.”

Other highlights:

• The New York Jets’ ticket price got an Aaron Rodgers boost, rising from the 29th to the 14th most expensive price a few days into the sales season. Yet not one of TickPick’s top 10 games is a Jets game, while on Vivid Seat’s list, the Jets at Raiders is the fourth-heftiest price tag at $527.

• Even before Josh Harris announced a purchase agreement to buy the Washington Commanders, fans were voting for him with their wallets. The Commanders’ average ticket price rose 22 percent to $205, according to TickPick, which reports it has sold 151 percent more Commanders tickets this year compared to the same period last year.

• The Cincinnati Bengals might have been to two straight AFC Championship Games and have one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but they have one of the cheapest tickets. According to TickPick, the Bengals moved from 32nd to 30th, with an average price of $179.

• Brady giveth and Brady taketh away. His retirement left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ prices cratering, falling 50 percent to $179. “It just goes to show you the demand or the power of Tom Brady,” Zorn said. “The NFL is not really star-driven like the NBA. To see that much of a drop” shows Brady is unique.

• While the Bucs fell without Brady, the Pats remain one of the top in-demand teams — the residual effect of six Super Bowl titles. The Green Bay Packers are also a legacy team, and even without Rodgers, the franchise of the frozen tundra ranks sixth in ticket prices. That is still down 13 percent to $384, but it is still $110 higher than the Jets. Another legacy team that outdid its performance is the Chicago Bears, whose average-priced tickets rose 50 percent to $363.

• The Chiefs are now the third most expensive ticket in the NFL, jumping from 10th last year, according to TickPick. While that might not seem surprising for the defending champs, the club plays in one of the largest stadiums in the league, a factor that often pressures average ticket prices. The Dallas Cowboys, for example, rank 12th on TickPick’s list.

• Indianapolis Colts fans are not expecting much this season, with the team holding the title of the cheapest average ticket price at $150, $29 less than the Bucs in the 31st position.

• Fans in the Big Easy are not suggesting great confidence in the New Orleans Saints. The team’s ticket price fell from the eighth most expensive on average to 23rd, a 23 percent decline, TickPick data shows. By contrast, fans of their divisional rival, the Atlanta Falcons, are optimistic, with the club jumping 12 spots to the 19th most expensive average ticket.

• And finally, Carolina Panthers boosters must believe in Bryce Young. The average ticket price for the team surged 63 percent to $317, according to TickPick.

(Top photo: Fred Kfoury III / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)