The price tag to buy the Broncos just went up
Aug 5, 2021, 4:27 PM
The Jeff Bezoses of the world will have to reach a little deeper into their pockets if they want to purchase the Denver Broncos following the franchise’s latest valuation from Forbes.
According to the business magazine’s estimates, which were released Thursday, the Broncos are valued at $3.75 billion, good enough for 10th among all NFL teams.
Up 17 percent from $3.2 billion in 2020, however, the one-year increase for the Broncos ranks tied for fifth among its peers. Since 2013, the team’s value has increased by nearly 133 percent.
But as the NFL more and more embraces sports betting, this year’s valuation of the organization could be just the tip of the iceberg.
During a pre-training camp press conference late last month, Broncos president and CEO Joe Ellis said for a long time there was “great resistance” by the league to associating with gambling entities.
But “if you can’t beat them, join them,” Ellis said.
“It’s become the norm across the world, and now with the use of technology and the phones that are all in our pockets, it’s there to stay,” Ellis said. “There’s the way we can associate with the various entities and corporations that are involved in gambling and maintain the integrity of the game. I believe that can still be done, and it is being done.”
Should Forbes’ estimates be accurate, the valuation means that the children of late Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and his brother, John, stand to make a significant amount of money should the team be sold.
According to 9News Broncos Insider Mike Klis, John Bowlen’s 22 percent non-voting stake in the team would be valued by Forbes at $825 million. Each of Pat Bowlen’s children — Amie, Beth, Pat, John, Brittany, Christianna and Annabel — own a 11.4 percent stake, which would net them $427.5 million apiece.
Ellis said last month that the “sale of the team is always possible,” but if it remains in the Bowlen family, the other option would be Brittany Bowlen at the helm, though that scenario would have to meet certain “conditions.”
“They could come in various forms,” Ellis said. “There might be one or two other options within that option, if that makes sense.”
In any case, the Pat Bowlen Trust, which currently operates the franchise, will begin the process of transferring ownership next year with the expectation of having a new owner in place before the 2022 season.
