Report: Jeff Bezos Still in the Running to Buy Washington Commanders

Reports of the death of billionaire Jeff Bezzos’ bid to buy the Washington Commanders were premature, according to a report.

Several stories circulated over the weekend claiming that current Commanders Owner Daniel Sny der had blocked Bezos from the bidding process for the team. The belief was that Snyder blocked Bezos due to the preponderance of negative coverage he received over the years from the Washington Post, which Bezos owns.

However, according to a report from Front Office Sports’ A.J. Perez, Bezos is not out of the running to buy the team. Though, some around the league are reportedly concerned about how long it is taking for Snyder to go through the selling process.

According to a source to Front Office Sports, the report that Snyder had blocked Bezos from the bidding process was a ploy to get a higher bid from the Amazon owner.

Another troubling possibility causing angst behind the scenes is that Snyder could decide to keep the team.

Snyder initially said he wanted $7 billion for the team, but with none of the bids having come close to that number, some think Snyder could end the sales process that’s in its 117th day and just continue being the owner of the Washington Commanders.

That would seem an unlikely possibility, however.

The question one has to ask is, why did the bids come in below the $7 billion asking price?

Sure, there’s the haggling process where potential owners try to keep the final price tag down by offering modest increases on an already low bid, such as 76ers Owner Josh Harrris’ $5.5 billion bid. Though, there could be something else in play as well.

Snyder’s sale of the Commanders is very much a “shotgun sale.” He’s not selling because he’s tired of making millions of dollars every year, as all NFL owners do. Instead, he’s selling under pressure from the league and the other 31 owners due to the scandals that have plagued the Commanders during Snyder’s tenure and how he has essentially taken a once-proud NFL franchise and run it into the ground.

It is no small matter to force an NFL owner to sell their team. So, one would assume that if Snyder suddenly switched and decided to take the team off the market, the league would take some action to compel him to sell. Surely, the billionaires bidding on the team are aware of the precarious situation Snyder is in and the circumstances under which he’s selling the team and realize that even if they come in with a bid under $7 billion, Snyder would likely be compelled to sell for something less.

So why offer $7 billion?

At the end of the day, the potential bidders are negotiating with the league as much as Snyder.