The revamped Denver Broncos, now led under center by veteran quarterback Russell Wilson, are entering the 2022 season as a playoff contender with high expectations for the future. And their Super Bowl hopes should only increase, considering who's about to take over the franchise. According to reports, the Broncos have been sold to the Walton-Penner family for $4.6 billion, a record price paid for a North American sports team.
The group, led by Walmart heir and billionaire Rob Walton, will officially acquire the Broncos sometime this summer, although the purchase still needs at least 24 yes-votes from the NFL's owners and approval from the finance committee. Denver was bought by the late Pat Bowlen back in 1984, and during his tenure as owner, the team won three Super Bowls. The Broncos need to restore their winning ways this season, as they haven't made the AFC playoffs since 2015.
"It looks like the Broncos are moving in a positive direction... If I'm a Broncos fan, I'm thrilled about this [purchase]," JR said during the JR SportBrief show on Wednesday. "Not bad when you've got a net worth of $60 billion and you can buy an NFL team for $4.5 billion... So, congrats to the Broncos -- you're actually a good team. Unfortunately, you haven't made the playoff since that Super Bowl. But, I'd think with the richest owner, things will go your way...
"Good for the Broncos. At least over the past 25 years, you've got to be okay with the results. You have three Super Bowls, just picked up one with Peyton Manning in 2015. And at the end of the 1990s, John Elway finally got his two rings. There's a lot of franchises that'd love to sign up for that... If you need another NFL team to change hands, sell Washington. And get Daniel Snyder the hell out of there..."
JR's complete thoughts on the Broncos' record-breaking sale agreement can be accessed in the audio player above (segment begins at 10:05 ET mark).
You can follow the JR SportBrief show on Twitter @JRSportBrief, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.