Tag: Jeff Bezos

Broncos potential owner tracker: Who will buy the team?

From Byron Allen to Peyton Manning to Kwanza Jones, many names have been linked to Broncos ownership. We are tracking all of the buzz here.

The Denver Broncos are officially up for sale and the team is expected to be sold for more than $4 billion. The Broncos are hoping to complete a sale before the 2022 NFL season, but the process could take months to finalize.

We will be tracking all of the latest developments on the ownership front on this page in the coming weeks and months.

Confirmed interest

1. Byron Allen
2. John Elway
3. Crypto group supported by Gov. Jared Polis

Reported interest

1. Alec Gores, Dean Metropoulos and Mat Ishbia
2. Behdad Eghbali, Jose Feliciano and Kwanza Jones
3. Josh Harris
4. Peyton Manning

Rumored interest

1. Kanye West
2. Jay-Z

Not interested, per reports

1. Robert F. Smith
2. Jeff Bezos

Pat Bowlen and his family purchased the Broncos from Edgar Kaiser in 1984. Bowlen stepped down from his day-to-day duties in 2014 due to his battle with Alzheimer’s disease, and he died in 2017.

Since Bowlen stepped down, the team has been controlled by the Pat Bowlen Trust, led in part by team president/CEO Joe Ellis. The team’s next owner will assume control of the team.

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Another billionaire linked to Broncos sale proves to be a false alarm

Jeff Bezos and Robert F. Smith are not interested in buying the Broncos, if reports are to be believed.

John Elway and Peyton Manning are both interested in becoming owners of the Denver Broncos, but neither of them could afford to buy the team on their own.

That’s why Elway and Manning want to join an ownership group as minority investors, presumably with a billionaire serving as the controlling owner.

Several big names have been linked to the team as potential new owners, but none of them have stuck so far. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has been mentioned repeatedly, but Peter King of NBC Sports has reported Bezos is not interested in buying the team.

Rapper/businessman Jay-Z has also been linked to the Broncos, but KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis reported in September there were “no developments” on that front. It seems the Jay-Z buzz was merely speculation.

Last month, Front Office Sports reported that billionaire Robert F. Smith had “emerged as one of the possible bidders” to buy the team. That appears to have been a false alarm as well.

“He is not a potential buyer and is not planning on purchasing the Broncos,” an unnamed source told Klis in a story published Monday.

So we’ve had a lot of speculation, but no real action so far. Broncos Wire will continue tracking the team’s latest ownership developments in the coming weeks.

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Peter King: Jeff Bezos not interested in buying Broncos

Jeff Bezos is “not interested” in buying the Broncos, “at least now he’s not,” according to Peter King.

The Denver Broncos appear to be trending toward being sold in the spring, and the accomplished franchise with a passionate fan base should have no trouble attracting potential buyers.

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is not expected to be among the billionaires potentially bidding to buy the team.

Here’s what Peter King of ProFootballTalk.com reported Monday:

If the seven children of Pat Bowlen cannot agree on a succession plan, the franchise trustees are likely to sell the team. Now I’ve heard that at least four individuals of means have been actively digging around to discover if said purchase will be smart. When I say “of means,” I mean those in private business who have billions to spend. As for all of those (Robert Kraft and Jerry Jones, among others) who’d love to see Jeff Bezos get involved in ownership of an NFL franchise, I hear he’s not interested. At least now he’s not.

Last month, Front Office Sports listed Bezos and rapper/businessman Jay-Z as potential buyers for the Broncos, but it seems that was merely speculation. Forbes recently estimated that the Broncos are worth $3.75 billion, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team eventually sold for more than $4 billion.

Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterbacks John Elway and Peyton Manning are both interested in potential partial ownership roles, but neither Elway nor Manning could afford to buy the team on their own.

The franchise is not currently for sale and right now, Denver’s just focused on finishing the 2021 season. Broncos Wire published a list of eight potential candidates to buy the team in July. By next summer, one of those eight candidates — or perhaps someone unexpected — could be the new owner.

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Report: Amazon’s Jeff Bezos linked to sales talk for Washington Football Team

Tech billionaire Jeff Bezos reportedly has interest in owning a professional sports team, and Washington may be high on his wish-list.

If there’s one person who has become a household name over the past few years, it’s Jeff Bezos. The billionaire founder of Amazon has seen his net worth explode in the last decade, and as he enjoys his wealth, there are many reports that Bezos has a desire to get into the sports team market, looking to buy a professional franchise.

There are also growing reports that the Washington Football Team is high up on his wishlist. According to a report from Front Office Sports, Bezos has been in contact with an investment banking firm that led efforts to sell a chunk of the WFT this past year.

The past year has been tumultuous for team owner Dan Snyder, who has been at the center of multiple lawsuits and sexual harassment allegations with the team. A few minority owners have attempted to sell their shares in the team, which was blocked by Snyder, but there is some belief — and if we’re being honest, hope from the fanbase — that Snyder might be talked into selling, or potentially forced by the NFL after the results of a private investigation are potentially revealed.

There are many things that need to happen before we get to a news release saying that Bezos has bought the Washington Football Team, but this is the first time we are hearing that he actually has an interest in WFT, rather than a vague desire to own a professional team. What happens next, we will see.

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Could Snyder really be convinced to sell his entire stake in Washington’s team?

While minority owners are looking to sell their piece of the pie, it may be possible that Snyder joins and looks for a sole buyer.

With news surfacing that three minority owners in Washington are looking to sell their shares of the team, it puts Dan Snyder in a tough position. While his family still holds onto approximately 60% of the shares, it might be hard to find anyone who wishes to take on the potential PR nightmare of getting in business with Snyder and his team. The easiest route forward would be to find someone who wishes to own the entire piece of the pie, but that would mean Snyder has to give up what might be his favorite piece of property.

This is something that ESPN’s Michael Wilbon could see happening.

“I don’t know that [Snyder will sell] but would I be surprised? No,” Wilbon said Monday morning via NBC Sports Washington. “I wouldn’t be surprised at all because I don’t believe he’s going along with this.”

According to Forbes, Washington’s football team is worth $3.1 billion, which is ranked as the 14th most expensive sports team in North America. There may be a number of right people who would pay that number to take over the team, but it may cost more than that in order to get Snyder to even consider giving them up.

“I just thought that while there’s all this reporting on cooperation and collaboration, I don’t believe a word of that stuff. I believe Snyder wants to fight this every step of the way,” Wilbon said. “I don’t believe he’s going along with this. I believe Snyder is sulking and pouting and raging and I don’t buy that he’s sitting around and saying, ‘Okay how about this name?’ I just don’t buy it.”

An interesting idea was floated over the weekend that Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos may pop up in the bidding for the team, as he has reportedly wanted to get into the NFL ownership circles for a while now. While it may not seem likely that he would become a part-owner with Snyder, he undoubtedly has the money to offer enough to buy the team outright from the current owner. If Bezos offered $4 billion or more to take Washington off of Snyder’s hands, would he say no?

Hard to say, but he’d at least have to listen.

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If Amazon’s Jeff Bezos wants to own an NFL team, Washington might be best option

With a big stake of Washington likely up for sale in the near future, Bezos’s desire to own an NFL team could bring interesting storylines.

If you’re looking for rich billionaires who might be interested in purchasing a stake in an NFL team — if not the entire team — you should look no further than Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

Amidst the news that three minority owners in Washington are looking to sell their shares, everyone has been delving into the bidding market and trying to figure out who might be some viable suitors. We even posited a few #HTTR celebrities here who might have an interest in becoming a minority owner. However, with 40% of the team likely up for grabs, which would total approximated $1.36 billion, you’re going to need some big-time money to take that on…

Enter Bezos.

“Jeff Bezos is gonna be the first name that pops up,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio said, via NBC Sports Washington. “It’s well known that he wants in and it’s well known that the owners of the other NFL teams wouldn’t mind having him in given that he runs Amazon and it’d be a hell of a lot easier to work out deals for the streaming rights to games if one of the guys that they’re a partner with is also the guy that runs Amazon.”

A story ran last year that Bezos was interested in getting into the NFL ownership circle, but it was likely to be hard to crack that group given the competition to get in and the low rate at which people leave once they’ve got an invite to the party. Now, with nearly half of Washington’s ownership potentially up for grabs, it seems like an ideal time for the man who is on track to become the world’s first trillionaire in the near future.

“He may just want to buy the full 100 percent,” Florio said. “I never understood why anybody with sufficient means would want to not hold the full equity. If you’ve got the money, why do you even want to have to deal with minority partners? What’s the point? If you’ve got the funds to buy the whole thing, and truly Bezos does, just give me the full 100 percent and everyone else can stand down.”

Of course, there is zero indication that Dan Snyder wishes to sell the whole team away from his family, despite a litany of fans’ t-shirts that would urge him to do so. But if Bezos is serious about this, and he makes a big enough offer? Who knows what could happen.

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Russell Wilson, Pete Carroll to participate in COVID-19 relief concert

Amazon is sponsoring a virtual relief concert to benefit COVID-19 funds, and Seahawks’ Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson are participating.

On June 10 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. PT, a virtual COVID-19 relief concert will be broadcast on KING 5 in Seattle, featuring a litany of iconic musicians and local celebrities including Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and head coach Pete Carroll.

All in WA, a nonprofit started by Washington Governor Jay Inslee, is spearheading the event, which has already raised $20 million of their stated goal of $65 million, which will be spread among 42 different funds and causes across the state.

Donations can be made at allinwa.org/donate.

The event is sponsored by Amazon, with founder and CEO JEff Bezos revealing he will match individual donations to All in WA causes, with a max total of $25 million dollars.

Wilson’s wife, R&B singer Ciara, is known to be participating as well, along with a large collection of Seattle-area musicians, including:

  • Allen Stone
  • Ben Gibbard
  • Brandi Carlile
  • Dave Matthews
  • Joel McHale
  • Mary Lambert
  • Macklemore
  • Pearl Jam
  • Sir Mix-A-Lot
  • The Black Tones

No word on what Carroll and Wilson have planned for their respective performances – but let’s hope we get to hear some crooning, or maybe even a duet.

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Report: Amazon’s Jeff Bezos could be interested in buying Seahawks

Although the Seattle Seahawks are not for sale, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has expressed interest in someday owning the team.

The Seattle Seahawks are not for sale, and there’s no indication they will be for sale anytime soon, but — if they were — Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos could be interested in purchasing the team, according to the Washington Post (which Bezos owns).

The Seahawks have an estimated value of about $2.8 billion, which is chump change to Bezos and his $109 billion net worth, according to Bloomberg.

It not only would be easy for Bezos to afford buying the Seahawks, but he has the support of many other NFL owners who would love to see him get involved.

“I’m sure that eventually it would be in everyone’s best interests if someone that’s as community-oriented as him gets involved in the Seattle situation,” New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in the Post piece.

“The Seattle situation,” as Kraft put it, is currently owned by the estate of Paul Allen and run by Allen’s sister, Jody. Allen died last year of complications stemming from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Jody Allen has made no indication that she plans to sell the team, and while she has not been in the public eye much since taking over, she has the support of both Pete Carroll (who signed a contract extension through 2021) and general manager John Schneider.

What this means for Seattle’s future is unclear, but it certainly seems plausible that Bezos, who attended the Super Bowl last year and posed for pictures with Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin, would be a strong candidate to own the team if the Allen estate decided to sell.

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