The Denver Broncos could be looking for a new owner and JAY-Z is reportedly in the running for the job.
On Monday (Sept. 13), Front Office Sports’ A.J. Perez reported that the Reasonable Doubt emcee and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos are both “potential suitors” to become the team’s next owner. Pat Bowlen, who purchased the team for $78 million in 1984, passed away in 2019. The team has been run by a trust ever since. In July, Broncos president and CEO Joe Ellis said that the team planned to have a “timely, responsible and orderly determination of ownership in 2022.”
“What that will entail for us…there’s some things that we still need to work through, but our goal is to be able to lay out, when the season is over — and [Head Coach] Vic [Fangio] has promised that will be in the middle of February — that we lay out for everybody a timeline to a transition of ownership that will take place next year prior to the start of the season,” he added. “That’s important. It’s important to the organization. It’s important to the beneficiaries — Pat’s children — to get it resolved and we’re moving forward on that.”
If the team hits the market next year, it could become the biggest franchise sale in U.S. sports history.
Although the Broncos are not currently for sale, the franchise could stay within the Bowlen family. However, Perez reports that “the family’s differences, combined with the purchase price — expected to be around $4 billion — will likely lead to a sale.”
JAY-Z already has close ties with the NFL. Back in 2019, Roc Nation struck a long-term partnership with the league. The 4:44 emcee and his team have a hand in creating the Super Bowl halftime show and they also assist with the league’s social initiatives.
Check out the report from Front Office Sports below.