Comparing NFL Variable Pricing Tiers to Secondary Market Prices

The New York Jets and Cleveland Browns are the most recent NFL teams to adopt variable pricing. Both teams announced last Wednesday they would use the new pricing options for the upcoming 2015 NFL season. The total price for season tickets will not increase for either team, rather the variable pricing will help aid fans while looking for the correct value when reselling their tickets.

While both the Browns and Jets broke their home games up into tiers, the teams’ tiers don’t quite reflect the demand on the secondary market. Both teams had a potentially exclusion from their top games, while putting too much value on the home opener.

The first game of the year for both the Browns and Jets were put into the top tier of variable pricing, but neither game comes within the respective team’s four most expensive home games of the 2015 season on the secondary market. For both the Jets and Browns, only two home games are currently less expensive on the secondary market than the season opener. The Jets and Browns will face each other in Week 1 at MetLife Stadium before the Browns open at home in Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans.

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Currently the most expensive home game on Cleveland’s schedule is a Week 14 game against the San Francisco 49ers. The current average for the game is $334.58, 5.3% more expensive than the next game, a Week 17 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. By the Browns’ new pricing, that game against the 49ers is in the third pricing tier, along with games against the Oakland Raiders, Arizona Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals.

While the Browns were not wrong to assume a game against the 49ers would be their most demanded game, both the Browns and Jets missed a matchup with a division rival. Cleveland’s Week 13 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals has the third most expensive average at FirstEnergy Stadium this season.

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The Miami Dolphins made a lot of noise in the offseason, most notably signing defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, and are projected to be the biggest threat to the New England Patriots for the AFC East title. A possible late season playoff push could see the Jets and Dolphins battling for a Wild Card or the division. However, the game against Miami is a “Premier” home game for the Jets, left out of the “Marquee” tier. The Week 12 game against the Dolphins is currently the fourth most expensive Jets home game of the season, 6.4% more expensive than the season opener. Though the opener against Cleveland does have a slightly higher get-in price, $48 to $44.

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Using the get-in price for each game, both of the Jets’ tiers come out favorably. While the Dolphins game ties for the Bills for the fourth most expensive get-in price, the other top three games are in the “Premiere” tier. The Browns also come out slightly better, though both games in Tier 2 (PIT, BAL), as well as the 49ers game are more expensive than the home opener against Tennessee.