Pro Football Focus has become the go-to resource for advanced NFL stats and analysis. PFF rankings have even become integrated in the Sunday Night Football broadcast, giving fans a reference point to gauge where players rank compared to others at their position.
Developed by UK football fan Neil Hornsby in 2007, Pro Football Focus now provides proprietary data and analysis to all 32 NFL teams and 95 percent of Power Five Division I football programs.
NFL analyst Chris Collinsworth purchased a majority stake in Pro Football Focus back in 2014 for $6 million. Back then, PFF was only valued at approximately $10 million and making about $1 million per year in revenue.
In 2021, it was valued at $160 million and the company recently raised $50 million to expand to European football and other markets.
As it stands, Collinsworth’s stake could be worth upwards of $100 million.
However, PFF’s rise to prominence hasn’t come without some bumps along the way.
Collinsworth Going Through Growing Pains As Pro Football Focus CEO
Collingworth has reportedly lost a “lot of sleep” over leadership issues at Pro Football Focus. Hornsby, the former founder, left from the company following a year-long sabbatical and a dispute with Collinsworth in 2021.
Matthew Coller, the author of “Football Is A Numbers Game”, detailed the downfall in an interview with Front Office Sports.
“When Neil tried to fire George, who is one of Cris’ favorite people in the whole world, he overstepped,” Collier said. “That ultimately was his downfall.”
Beyond Hornby, many of the site’s most talented and visible employees have also parted ways with the company. Pro Football Focus also experienced its first significant round of layoffs last year. PFF was forced to fire 7% of the company’s salaried workforce, leaving many people wondering about the direction that the business is headed.
Could PFF Become A Billion Dollar Company?
Despite these hiccups, it’s still possible that Collinsworth is still leading what could become a billion-dollar company.
Sports data is more valuable than ever and with the company preparing to tap into new markets like sports betting and soccer, the sky is the limit for PFF.
Collinsworth remains the owner and chairman of the company,
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