Washington Commanders owners Dan and Tanya Snyder are near a deal to sell the storied NFL franchise, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday.
A group led by Josh Harris, co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Devils, continues to be optimistic that it will get the team. But Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos and his family are still in the mix, with a source telling ESPN that it’s “a head-to-head race. … It’s anyone’s game.”
No deal has been signed, sources told ESPN, and any deal has to be submitted and approved by league owners.
Harris’ group has submitted an official offer of around $6 billion for the Commanders, sources told ESPN. Apostolopoulos also reportedly submitted a bid.
Tilman Fertitta, owner of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, told CNBC on Wednesday that he bid $5.6 billion — the value Forbes placed on the franchise — and was not going to go higher than that.
“At some point you’ve got to draw a line in the sand, and that’s where we are,” Ferttita told CNBC. “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.”
Another anonymous group that has been linked to the Commanders sale also has submitted a bid.
A source Wednesday told ESPN that Jeff Bezos, who had some interest in buying the Commanders, was not going to bid on the team.
The current record sale for an NFL franchise, set in August, is $4.65 billion after a group led by Walmart heir Rob Walton bought the Denver Broncos.
A deal likely wouldn’t be approved until the next league meetings, scheduled for May 22-24 in Minneapolis. The NFL’s eight-member finance committee will examine the documents and then put it to a vote of the other 31 owners. The NFL is familiar with Harris, who was a finalist in the bidding for the Broncos last summer before the Walton group won out.
The deal for the Commanders would also include FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, as well as the team’s practice facility in Ashburn, Virginia. The Commanders have been seeking a new stadium somewhere in the D.C. area. According to multiple people involved in the process, Snyder’s presence — and the investigations into him and the franchise — had stalled the process in the past year.
The Commanders finished 8-8-1 last season under coach Ron Rivera, entering his fourth year in charge.