PFF — short for Pro Football Focus — is one of the most influential names in American football analytics. Every NFL team uses its data. Every serious fantasy football player knows its grades. And every time you watch NBC’s Sunday Night Football, the player ratings on screen come directly from PFF’s proprietary system.
But the ownership story behind this analytics powerhouse is one of the most dramatic in sports media history — involving a British hobbyist, a legendary NFL broadcaster, a $50 million private equity deal, and a landmark acquisition that split the company in two just months ago.
What Is PFF?
Pro Football Focus (PFF) is an American sports analytics company that grades every player on every play of every NFL and NCAA Division I college football game. Its signature 0–100 Player Grades have become the industry standard for evaluating NFL talent — used by all 32 NFL teams, over 240 Division I college programs, national media outlets, fantasy football platforms, and sports betting services.
PFF publishes its data through a mix of free and subscription-based products at PFF.com, alongside podcasts, fantasy tools, draft guides, and betting analytics. It is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and employs analysts who watch, chart, and grade every player movement in every game — a level of detail no traditional statistics provider has ever matched.
Who Owns PFF Right Now in 2026?
PFF’s ownership structure changed significantly on March 30, 2026 — and the result is that the company now operates as two separate entities.
Teamworks — a sports technology company headquartered in Durham, North Carolina — acquired PFF’s enterprise (B2B) business on March 30, 2026. This includes PFF’s proprietary game event data and analytics platform used by all 32 NFL teams and 240+ Division I college programs. Teamworks now fully owns and operates this side of the business.
The consumer-facing business — including PFF.com, podcasts, fantasy football tools, and betting analytics — was not included in the sale and remains under the ownership and leadership of Cris Collinsworth, who continues to run it as an independent operation.
As part of the deal, Collinsworth and PFF’s minority investors — including Silver Lake and Western & Southern Financial Group — became shareholders in Teamworks.
Ownership and Key Stakeholders Table
| Owner / Party | Role | Stake / Asset Owned | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teamworks | Owner of PFF Enterprise (B2B) | 100% of PFF’s B2B data platform | Acquired March 30, 2026; Durham, NC-based sports OS company |
| Cris Collinsworth | Owner of PFF Consumer Business | 100% of PFF.com, podcasts, fantasy & betting tools | Retains full control of consumer arm; serves as Teamworks advisor |
| Silver Lake | Former Minority Investor → now Teamworks shareholder | Became Teamworks shareholder post-deal | Invested $50 million in PFF in 2021; valued PFF at $160 million |
| Western & Southern Financial Group | Former Minority Investor → now Teamworks shareholder | Became Teamworks shareholder post-deal | Cincinnati-based insurance and financial company |
| Zach Maurides | CEO & Founder of Teamworks | Leads combined Teamworks + PFF enterprise | Founded Teamworks; describes PFF acquisition as “a turning point” |
| Neil Hornsby | Original Founder | No current ownership | Founded PFF as a hobby in Luton, England in 2004; exited before 2026 sale |
The Origin Story: A British Hobby That Changed the NFL
PFF was not born in a Silicon Valley lab or a Wall Street-backed startup. It was born in a one-bedroom apartment in Luton, England — about 30 miles north of London — as a pure hobby project by a British management consultant named Neil Hornsby.
Hornsby was unsatisfied with standard NFL statistics. He felt they did not capture what was actually happening on the field — particularly for linemen, cornerbacks, and other players whose contributions never showed up in conventional box scores.
Starting in 2004, he began grading every player on every play himself, by watching and re-watching game footage. In 2007, he launched the PFF website, making his grades publicly available.
For years it was a passion project. Then in 2009, PFF landed its first NFL client — the New York Giants — and the business suddenly became real. By 2014, PFF had 13 NFL team clients and a staff of 8 full-time employees, all still working remotely from home offices scattered across the US, the UK, and Northern Ireland.
How Cris Collinsworth Took Over in 2014
The turning point in PFF’s history came when one of the most recognizable voices in American football decided to put his money where his mouth was.
Cris Collinsworth — the former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver and lead analyst on NBC’s Sunday Night Football — had been using PFF data personally to prepare for his broadcasts for years.
In 2014, he purchased a majority interest in PFF for $6 million, moving the company from the UK to Cincinnati, Ohio, near his home in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. The acquisition gave PFF the resources and credibility it needed to scale — and Collinsworth’s presence on NBC gave it national TV exposure that no analytics startup could buy.
Under Collinsworth’s ownership, PFF grew from 13 NFL team clients to all 32, expanded into college football, launched a consumer subscription business, and built one of the most recognized brands in sports analytics. In September 2021, private equity firm Silver Lake invested $50 million for a minority stake, valuing PFF at $160 million — with peak valuations reportedly reaching $223 million.
The 2026 Sale: Why PFF Split in Two
By early 2026, reports emerged that PFF was being sold. The final deal — announced and completed on March 30, 2026 — was structured in a way that surprised most industry observers: the company was split rather than sold whole.
Teamworks paid between $130 million and $140 million to acquire only the enterprise B2B side of PFF — the data platform serving NFL teams and college programs. The consumer business, which Silver Lake’s investment had been partly intended to grow, was not included and stayed with Collinsworth.
Teamworks already owns a portfolio of sports technology companies including Sportlogiq (NHL video tracking), Telemetry Sports (a PFF competitor), Basepath (NIL management), and Zelus (multi-sport data management). Adding PFF’s enterprise platform gives Teamworks the most comprehensive AI-powered analytics system in American football — trusted by every NFL team and hundreds of college programs.
Teamworks CEO Zach Maurides said at the announcement: “This is not just another acquisition. It’s a turning point for how football organizations operate.”
What Happens to PFF.com, Fantasy, and Podcasts?
The consumer-facing PFF that most fans interact with — PFF.com, the PFF Fantasy tools, the betting analytics, and the popular podcasts — is entirely separate from what Teamworks bought and continues under Cris Collinsworth’s direct ownership and leadership.
Collinsworth remains as an advisor to Teamworks for the enterprise side, but runs the consumer business independently. PFF.com continues as the home for football fan content, fantasy rankings, draft guides, and player grades for everyday users.
That side of the business is not going away — it just now operates as a standalone company, completely independent from the Teamworks-owned analytics platform.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns PFF in 2026?
PFF’s enterprise business is owned by Teamworks following a March 30, 2026 acquisition, while the consumer business remains owned by Cris Collinsworth.
Q2. Who founded Pro Football Focus?
Neil Hornsby, a British management consultant, founded PFF as a hobby in Luton, England in 2004, launching the website publicly in 2007.
Q3. When did Cris Collinsworth buy PFF?
Cris Collinsworth purchased a majority interest in PFF for $6 million in 2014, moving the company from the UK to Cincinnati, Ohio.
Q4. What did Teamworks pay for PFF?
Teamworks acquired PFF’s enterprise B2B business for between $130 million and $140 million, completed on March 30, 2026.
Q5. Does Cris Collinsworth still own PFF?
Yes — Collinsworth retains full ownership of PFF’s consumer business, including PFF.com, fantasy football tools, betting analytics, and podcasts.
Q6. What did Silver Lake invest in PFF?
Silver Lake invested $50 million for a minority stake in PFF in September 2021, valuing the company at $160 million at that time.
Q7. How many NFL teams use PFF data?
All 32 NFL teams use PFF’s proprietary data and analytics platform, along with more than 240 Division I college football programs.
Q8. Is PFF publicly traded?
No. PFF has always been a private company. The Teamworks entity that now owns the enterprise side is also privately held.
PFF in 2026 is effectively two companies. The enterprise B2B side — the data platform trusted by every NFL team — was acquired by Teamworks on March 30, 2026 for $130–140 million. The consumer side — PFF.com, fantasy, betting, and podcasts — remains owned by Cris Collinsworth as a fully independent business.
PFF started as a British hobbyist’s passion project in a Luton apartment in 2004, was purchased by Cris Collinsworth for $6 million in 2014, attracted a $50 million Silver Lake investment in 2021 at a $160 million valuation, peaked at $223 million, and has now been partially sold to Teamworks for $130–140 million — ending a chapter that transformed how every professional football organization in America evaluates its players.