As the Commanders embark on a 2023 offseason that figures to bring sweeping change at important positions like quarterback, the team is also expected to change hands up top. A sale of the franchise by owner Daniel Snyder is on the horizon, according to NBC Sports Washington, and could be announced as soon as March, when the NFL holds its annual meeting.
Snyder and his wife, Tanya, announced in November they would explore a potential sale of the team through Bank of America Securities. The first round of bidding occurred in December, per CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones, and a full sale of the Commanders is expected to net anywhere from $5.5 billion to $6.5 billion, which would set a league record.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was reportedly an early front-runner to buy the team, but he did not submit an official bid when proposals were due before Christmas, per Front Office Sports. That doesn't mean Bezos can't or won't enter the process later, but the Snyders prefer not to sell to the businessman, according to NBC Sports Washington. Bezos notably also owns The Washington Post, which has extensively covered alleged transgressions inside the team in recent years.
Todd Boehly, co-owner of the Premier League club Chelsea, and another prospective Commanders owner, has completely pulled out of the bidding process, NBC Sports Washington adds, leaving D.C. native Josh Harris, owner of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and NHL's New Jersey Devils, as potentially the favorite to take over.
The anticipated sale would cap a long-running saga involving Commanders ownership, with Daniel Snyder coming under increased fire from reporters, ex-employees and even fellow NFL owners in regards to what the league deemed a formerly "hostile workplace environment." The U.S. House of Representatives' Oversight Committee argued in December, after a lengthy investigation of the franchise, that Snyder "permitted and participated in ... (a) troubling" culture that included sexual harassment and discrimination.
