The Broncos have an ownership situation that, if not settled among the family members of the late Pat Bowlen, will result in a 2022 sale. If the team is sold, two potential buyers have emerged.
Via A.J. Perez of FrontOfficeSports.com, a pair of names “keep popping up” as new owners of the Broncos: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Jay-Z.
The expected purchase prices will be $4 billion. It’s unclear whether Jay-Z would have the financial wherewithal to personally hold enough equity and also have the resources to run the team. At an estimated net worth of $1.4 billion, that likely wouldn’t be enough for him to be the controlling owner of a team that sells for $4 billion; by rule, he’d need to personally purchase 30 percent of the franchise.
He could still be a key part of an ownership group, the public face and voice while the person with the money remains relatively anonymous. That’s the role Jon Bon Jovi would have played in the group that tried to buy the Bills, for example.
Franchise values are expected to skyrocket in this age of legalized gambling. For years, Bezos has been linked to the NFL. Given his massive holdings and the mushrooming cost of owning and operating a team, he’s one of the few in the world who could pull it off without even blinking.