How much are the Denver Broncos selling for and who’s buying them?
With the NFL franchise having been on the market since February, it was really only a matter of time before a serious bid came in.
One of the NFL’s most famous franchises is up for sale and it seems that one of America’s most famous families is in line to buy it.
Rob Walton set to buy the Denver Broncos
According to Forbes, the Denver Broncos are about to have a new owner after Rob Walton made a winning bid of approximately $4.5 billion for the NFL franchise. It should be said that the deal is not finalized, however it is understood that an announcement could arrive as early as this month. While inside information called the idea of a clear favorite in the bidding process “categorically false,” Walton’s enormous wealth and well documented resources are widely expected to assure that negotiations come to a conclusion in the near future. Where official protocol is concerned, its been reported that a second round of bids will be concluded on Monday.
Who is Rob Walton?
With speculation surrounding a possible sale intensifying over the past few weeks, the Broncos have been moving closer to this moment for quite some time. As recently as this May past potential buyers visited the team’s facilities. Interestingly, it’s understood that there were four other finalists in the bidding, however, none could compare to the kind of wealth that Walton possesses. Rob Walton is of course the eldest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton and is worth an estimated $59.6 billion. Incidentally, though he will be the first Walton heir own an NFL team, he won’t be the first with ties to be tied to one. Rob Walton’s cousin, Ann Walton Kroenke, is the wife of Rams owner Stan Kroenke. Assuming the sale is completed, Walton will not only be the wealthiest NFL owner in the league, with Panthers owner David Tepper currently the richest with a net worth of $16.7 billion.
The Broncos deal is record breaking
With the above mentioned price of $4.5 billion, once the sale is finalized it will be the most ever paid for a sporting franchise in American history. At present the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets hold on to that record, having been purchased for $2.35 billion back in August 2019. Where NFL teams are concerned the $4.5 billion price tag would actually be double the price of the most expensive NFL team ever sold, which was the Panthers that the previously mentioned Tepper bought in 2018 for $2.275 billion.
How did the Denver Broncos get here?
When the deal is finalized by the 77-year-old Walton it will be done so in tandem with the Pat Bowlen Trust which is the current owner of the team. Bowlen originally purchased the team back in 1984 for just $78 million. From 1984 until his death in 2019, Bowlen oversaw one of the most successful franchises in the NFL as the Broncos went to seven Super Bowls, winning three of them, under his watch. Bowlen died in 2019 and his trust has been running the organization ever since. After his death three years ago, there was constant speculation that the team would eventually be put up for sale, but that didn’t officially happen until February of this year.