Jeff Bezos emerges as heavy favorite to buy New York Jets after Commanders’ $6 billion bid failed last year
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has emerged as a contender to buy the New York Jets – after being outbid by Josh Harris in last year’s $6 billion Washington Commanders deal.
Bezos has an estimated net worth of $223 billion and the Jets, owned by Woody Johnson, are valued at $6.9 billion by Forbes.
And according to online betting site Beovada, Bezos is favored to eventually own the franchise and realize a long-held ambition: acquiring an NFL team.
Johnson bought the Jets in 2000 in a $635 million deal and while there is currently no suggestion he plans to sell, he could soon be forced to step back from day-to-day operations.
Johnson was ambassador to the United Kingdom under Donald Trump in 2017 and is expected to be involved in the new government next year – possibly even in the same position as before.
If he is given a role by Trump, Johnson’s brother Christopher is expected to inherit day-to-day running of the organization, but if things change and he chooses to sell, fans are confident Bezos will lead the race to buy . the franchise.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has emerged as a candidate to buy the New York Jets
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Johnson isn’t hugely popular with the Jets fanbase after yet another season that seems destined to unravel with the team 3-8 for the season ahead of Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks – another team close to Bezos.
After being outbid by Harris for the Commanders, there was widespread speculation that the Seahawks would be Bezos’ next target.
Bezos settled in Seattle when he founded Amazon in 1994.
The Jets are coming off a nightmare season in which 40-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers has struggled to recapture the form he is known for, while Johnson fired head coach Robert Saleh and, earlier this month, general manager Joe Douglas.
Johnson will need to hire a new coach and general manager and possibly find a new signal caller for his team, depending on how the next few weeks unfold. And all this against the backdrop of the fact that he may work for Trump again if he becomes president next year.
But for Bezos, he might look to the Commanders for inspiration, given how the change in ownership there has heralded a complete turnaround for the organization’s fortunes.
Drafted rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who has led an on-field transformation with the team second in the NFC East and the postseason firmly in his sights.
Bezos has been linked to a joint takeover of the Commanders with rapper Jay-Z, who was at last Sunday’s game against the Cowboys.
And remarkably, if Bezos isn’t interested in buying the Jets, Bovada lists Elon Musk as the second favorite to buy the team.
