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Puck welcomes John Heilemann as its Chief Political Columnist!

Bezos’s NFL Dreams and S.B.F.’s First Campaign

Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos is widely considered a leading candidate to purchase a stake in the NFL’s Washington Commanders. Photo: Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Theodore Schleifer
December 27, 2022

Now that the tech titans have fallen short in their attempts to buy the NBA’s Phoenix Suns—which included an unexpected bid from an associate of Peter Thiel—the sports franchise hunt turns to Washington. That’s where Jeff Bezos, working with Jay-Z, is widely considered a leading candidate to purchase a stake in the NFL’s Washington Commanders from Dan Snyder. The first round of bids were due December 23rd, the night before Christmas Eve, and at least some came in well north of $7 billion.

Snyder—who bought the team formerly known as The Redskins for a then-astronomical $750 million in 1999—has long been one of the most reviled owners in sports. But he decided to explore a sale as the franchise has become mired in investigations, including from Congress, over its alleged toxic culture. Snyder hasn’t said publicly whether he would sell just a part of the team, his entire ownership stake, or nothing at all. But if this does turn into a bidding war, Bezos—the world’s second-richest person—would clearly have a tremendous advantage. And you’d imagine that Snyder and his army of beancounters at Bank of America would be hard pressed to turn down a full-team sale if the bids really are north of $7 billion, which would shatter records for the biggest sports franchise deal ever.