There will be no more drama surrounding Jeff Bezos and the Washington Commanders.
Teddy Schleifer of The Puck broke the story on Wednesday afternoon that the Amazon founder was not currently involved in the bidding process for the Commanders and wasn’t planning on making a bid.
This would presumably make Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris the runaway favorite to buy the team from owner Daniel Snyder.
Bezos’ name has hovered around the Commanders since it was announced on Nov. 2 that Snyder had hired Bank of America to explore potential transactions for the historic NFL franchise. The rumors have shifted multiple ways regarding Bezos. There were rumors that Snyder wouldn’t sell to Bezos because he owned The Washington Post. Then, later, sources close to Snyder said that he would indeed accept a bid from Bezos.
Other potential owners were always wary of Bezos entering the bidding late. It’s a process that Harris saw play out in his previous interest in the Denver Broncos when the Walton-Penner family won the bidding. Harris was willing to pay $5 billion for the Broncos if he knew that would close the deal. However, he wasn’t given assurances that it would be enough and didn’t want his bid used to drive up the price.
Harris has added billionaire Mitchell Rales and NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson to his bid, seemingly strengthening his chances of coming away as the top bidder. He is one of three known bidders that include Steve Apostolopoulos and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta. Harris and Apostolopoulos reportedly had bids near $6 billion, although there was more confidence in Harris’ bid.
Bezos hired Allen & Company, a New York investment firm, to look into a possible bid for the Commanders, The Washington Post reported in February. Other sources indicate that Bezos and Snyder did speak sometime around the holidays.
The NFL is hoping to have clarity on Washington’s ownership situation at next month’s league meetings in Minneapolis.