Is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos waiting to sell the Washington Post to make a bid for the Washington Commanders? It’s a possibility, according to the New York Post. The New York Post reports that Bezos may be looking to offload the nation’s capital newspaper before placing a bid on Dan Snyder’s team.
However, a spokesperson stated the Washington Post is not up for sale in response to the report.
Jeff Bezos has not thrown his name into the hat, sitting out the first round of bids for the Commanders. The highest bid reportedly is for $6.3 billion. It would be an NFL record. However, that number falls short of expectations of the Commanders going for “well north” of $7 billion. The lower-than-expected bids could be due to the absence of Bezos.
Bezos’ absence may be strategic, or it could be because Snyder reportedly has no intentions of selling the team to the owner of the Washington Post. The Post has been behind articles exposing Snyder and others within the Commanders for workplace misconduct. Some of those articles have led to multiple investigations into Snyder and the organization. And they would be a catalyst for Snyder to move on from NFL ownership.
That is where the potential sale of the Washington Post comes into play. Bezos potentially offloading the Washington Post could be a “gesture of goodwill” to Snyder, according to a source with the New York Post. That source noted Bezos selling the Washington Post “would go a long way with [Snyder].
Bezos’ name had been linked to the Washington franchise long before Snyder hired Bank of America Securities to help explore options for selling the team. Snyder may detest the Washington Post, yet Bank of America Securities continues to court Bezos to join the Commanders’ sweepstakes.
Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris have emerged as the favorite to buy the Commanders. Yet until a deal gets finalized, Bezos is going to be a factor and not discounted.
