On Tuesday, ESPN reported on the existence of a pair of $6 billion bids for the Commanders, without any further information, analysis, or context as to how current owner Daniel Snyder would pick a winner.
Other reporting from other outlets has provided some of the missing information, analysis, and/or context. And it points to a very real possibility of a long-expected bidder finally making a play for the team.
A.J. Perez of FrontOfficeSports.com recently explained that the group led by Josh Harris is the “only” serious contender, because his bid is backed by the money needed to survive the league’s vetting process.
This means, by implication, Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos isn’t a serious contender.
Meanwhile, Charles Gasparino of Fox Business Network (whose periodic tweets on the matter suggest that his source is someone close to Snyder or even Snyder himself) tweeted that neither of the $6 billion offers are “real,” and that the bids come with contingencies that put the actual value in the range of $5 billion.
Gasparino also reported that Jeff Bezos and Mark Cuban “are eyeing the team” — before reporting that Cuban is not interested.
Previously, Gasparino reported that Snyder is no longer opposed to a bid from Bezos, and that if Bezos makes a bid it likely will happen after the league meetings.
It could be that ESPN’s reports regarding of a pair of identical $6 billion bids were aimed at setting the bar that Bezos needs to beat in order to buy the team.
That’s the next move to watch. Bezos knows what it will take. Snyder reportedly isn’t refusing to sell to Bezos for spite. Will Bezos finally do it?