National Football League

Jeff Bezos reportedly denied chance to bid on Washington Commanders

Updated Feb. 25, 2023 7:36 p.m. ET

Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos is barred from bidding for the Washington Commanders, according to a report from The Athletic.

The team’s banker, Bank of America, has reportedly informed Bezos of this decision, and a person briefed on the sale process told The Athletic that this has been Bezos' reality for months.

Bezos, who is worth more than $119 billion according to Forbes, owns The Washington Post. The newspaper has published several stories documenting an alleged culture of harassment within the Commanders' organization that aided in mounting pressure to sell. Current team owner Daniel Snyder has long felt that the newspaper "has endeavored to oust him from the NFL," per the report.

The New York Post first reported on Snyder keeping Bezos away from the sale process, noting that Snyder might opt to maintain control of the franchise if the bids don't reach his desired price of $6-7 billion. Snyder bought the team for a then-record $800 million in 1999.

Bezos has not had access to the team’s finances because he's barred from bidding, per The Athletic's report, but he has reportedly been working with boutique investment firm Allen & Co. — the same company that conducted the $4.65 billion sale of the Denver Broncos last year and the $2.275 billion sale of the Carolina Panthers in 2018, according to the source.

One other potential bidder is Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris, who toured Washington's facility in January. Other reported potential bidders include some of whom came up short on their pursuit of the Broncos. Harris also bid on Denver.

Bezos did not make an offer in the first round of bidding that closed recently, which reportedly all consisted of bids way below the asking price — less than $6 billion.

The news comes on the heels of the Commanders landing Eric Bieniemy as their new offensive coordinator after the 53-year-old spent the past five seasons in the same role with the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Bieniemy reportedly asked head coach Ron Rivera and president Jason Wright for clarity on the franchise sale during his interview process.

"Eric, just like the rest of us, sees the transition as one that’s good for the organization," Wright said Thursday after Bieniemy’s introductory press conference. "There’s nothing but upside for the organization, and we’ve already had a lot of success in rebuilding the football side of the business from where we started when Ron took over."

Wright said Bieniemy also asked questions about Washington’s principals throughout the process, per the report.

"I mean, of course, asking about stability, organization and the transaction process and the sale and all these other things," Wright said. "For someone who is going to be a close colleague and a leader committed to getting us to a championship, it was important to be able to answer those."

Snyder announced in November 2022 that the club had hired Bank of America Securities to explore a potential full or partial sale of the franchise after a wave of scandals and negative attention plagued the franchise last season.

The Commanders’ home attendance was the worst in the NFL in 2022, per ESPN. Washington fans filled up an average of 96.5% of stadiums on the road while filling up just 85.9% of FedEx Field — the worst mark in the league by nearly 7%.

Snyder's decision to sell or not is reportedly expected by the league's annual owners meeting, which begins March 26.

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