Jeff Bezos Reportedly Makes Decision on Bid to Buy Washington Commanders

Jeff Bezos has reportedly made a decision when it comes to purchasing the Washington Commanders. According to ESPN, the 59-year-old founder of Amazon is no longer interested in buying the NFL team. The news comes months after Bezos said he was interested in making a bid to buy the team from owners Daniel and Tanya Snyder. 

If Bezos would have bought the Commanders, he would have been the richest owner in the NFL as he has a net worth of $125 billion. In November, Bezos spoke to CNN about the report of him looking to buy the Commanders with hip-hop legend Jay-Z. 

“Yes, I’ve heard that buzz,” Bezos said at the time, per Insider. “I grew up in Houston, Texas, and I played football growing up as a kid … and it is my favorite sport. So we’ll just have to wait and see.” Whoever buys the Commanders will likely pay a heavy price. ESPN says that Josh Harris, who owns the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, has submitted an offer to buy the team for $6 billion. Additionally, Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos has reportedly submitted a bid as well as Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta told CNBC he placed a bid of $5.6 million. 

“At some point you’ve got to draw a line in the sand, and that’s where we are,” Fertitta said. “If they can get somebody to pay them more than that, good luck to them. … I don’t think $6 billion is the right number.”  

Snyder, 58, purchased the Redskins from Jack Kent Cooke in 1999 for $800 million. He has received his share of criticism and has been in the middle of some serious allegations over the last 20 years. But since Snyder took over as the Commanders’ owner, the team has reached the playoffs only six times and has not played in a Super Bowl during that span. When Cooke was the owner, Washington won three Super Bowls from 1982-1991. 

Last year, the Commanders finished 8-8-1 on the year, which placed them last in the NFC East. 2022 was the first season Washington played with the name Commanders as it played with the name “Washington Football Team” in 2020 and 2021. The franchise adopted the name “Redkins” in 1933 and used the name until it was changed in 2020.