The Denver Broncos were one of the original franchises of the AFL, dating back to 1960 with owner Bob Howsam. It changed hands many times before Pat Bowlen took over in 1984. Bowlen's family has owned the team since, even after his passing in 2019. However, the Broncos are being controlled by Bowlen's trust rather than a sole, long-term owner.
Recently, there have been rumors about a potential sale of the Denver Broncos. It's rare for an NFL team to be sold since ownership is usually passed down through the family. That's not the case, though, as the Broncos made a move that foreshadows the inevitable sale.
As first reported by Sportico, the trust owning the Denver Broncos has met with "sell-side bankers" recently. "Sell-side bankers" come into play when a team is planning a sale and consists of investment bankers who act as the middle man, in layman's terms. It has been reported that the Broncos could be sold for the highest price ever for an NFL team, worth around $3.8 billion.
Who could purchase the Denver Broncos?
According to Front Office Sports, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has been rumored to be highly interested in buying the Denver Broncos when they hit the market as soon as 2022. Bezos has been rumored to be interested in several NFL franchises but has never pulled the trigger. With a net worth of over $200 billion and bearing the label of the richest man in the world, Bezos could finally land on acquiring the Broncos. They are a team with a large fanbase, a historic past and a roster that is on the rise.
Bezos could go in on the sale with former Broncos legend Peyton Manning. Manning has also been rumored to want a share of the Broncos but doesn't have the funds to go at it on his own. The pairing of Bezos (the funds) and Manning (the brains) could be part of a beautiful feature for the Broncos. While $3 billion wouldn't set back Jeff Bezos by much, it wouldn't take long for him to see a return on his investment with his marketing intelligence and possible partnership with Amazon.
If Denver is sold, it would be the second NFL team to have changed ownership in the last three years and also the one of the top two largest sells in NFL history after David Tepper bought the Carolina Panthers in 2018 for a then-record $2.2 billion.
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