March 15, 2022 4:00 am MT
The Denver Broncos are for sale and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said the league would like to see the team sold to a diverse owner (or diverse owners, in the case of an ownership group).
Several minority candidates have expressed interest in buying the team, including Hollywood mogul Byron Allen. Robert F. Smith, worth an estimated $6.7 billion, might also be interested.
Front Office Sports reported in January that Smith was a candidate to bid for the team, but KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis later reported that Smith “is not a potential buyer and is not planning on purchasing the Broncos.”
Then, last week, Josh Kosman of the New York Post reported that Smith “is seriously considering” a bid, marking “a reversal” for the billionaire.
Klis also contradicted that report, noting last week that “nothing has changed” for Smith. “He is not preparing a bid to buy the Broncos,” Klis tweeted on March 10. Woody Paige of The Gazette reaffirmed Klis’ report.
So while there are conflicting reports on Smith, two notable insiders close to the team are in agreement that he is not preparing a bid.
Meanwhile, Kosman also mentioned Jeff Bezos as “a rumored Broncos suitor who’s being taken seriously by sports industry sources,” but Peter King of NBC Sports reported in October that Amazon’s founder is not interested in a bid, at least he wasn’t at that time.
It remains to be seen what will happen with Smith and Bezos, but there are several confirmed candidates who plan to bid for the team. Denver hopes to complete a sale before the 2022 NFL season.
Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts|Spotify|Google Podcasts
