REPORT: Jeff Bezos Emerges As The New Favorite To Purchase One Of The NFL’s Most Valuable Franchises
Clark Hunt, Jeff Bezos and Dean Spanos (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has emerged as the new front-runner to purchase one of the NFL’s most valuable franchises.
You may recall that Jeff Bezos had interest in purchasing the Washington Commanders from Dan Snyder, but they wound up selling the franchise to the Josh Harris-led group for $6.05 billion.
There have also been rumors about Bezos potentially buying the Seattle Seahawks. Since Paul Allen’s passing in 2018, the team has been run by his sister, Jody Allen.
Speculation is growing about New York Jets owner Woody Johnson potentially selling the team as the Jets finish out another disastrous season. The Jets entered 2024 with Super Bowl expectations, but Aaron Rodgers and company have been a giant disappointment with a 3-8 record.
According to Bovada, Jeff Bezos is now the betting favorite to purchase the Jets from Johnson and take over as their next owner. Johnson has owned the football organization since 2000.
🚨NEWS: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is the STRONG FAVORITE to buy the New York #Jets and be their next OWNER, per @BovadaOfficial.
Bezos is worth over 230 billion dollars and has been interested in purchasing an NFL franchise for years. pic.twitter.com/aR39PBq20C
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) November 24, 2024
Regarded as one of the NFL’s worst owners, Johnson fired head coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas just six weeks apart mid-season. It has also been reported that he lobbied for the Jets to bench Rodgers.
The Jets haven’t made the postseason since 2010, the longest active drought among NFL teams. They haven’t had a winning season since 2015 and are on their way to finishing with double-digit losses for the fifth consecutive year.
Jeff Bezos Has The Resources To Become An NFL Owner
In August, Forbes listed the Jets’ value at $6.5 billion. They also estimate Bezos’ net worth at $221.4 billion, so purchasing the football team at or around that valuation would be pocket change for the Amazon boss.
Woody Johnson hasn’t at all indicated that he’s looking to sell the Jets. But it just takes one monumental offer to do so, and few people on the planet could outbid Jeff Bezos in a potential ownership battle.