Jeff Bezos may bid for NFL’s Washington Commanders with Jay-Z

Amazon founder is the fourth-richest person in the world, with a net worth of $115 billion

Jeff Bezos at an NFL game in Kansas City. AP

Jeff Bezos is interested in bidding for the NFL’s Washington Commanders, possibly with music mogul Jay-Z as an investor, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Billionaires Dan and Tanya Snyder said that they’re exploring options including a sale of the Commanders, weeks after facing renewed pressure to step down. The team and its owners hired Bank of America Corp to “consider potential transactions”.

Should Mr Bezos enter the bidding for the Commanders and apply his $115 billion personal fortune, it would be hard for others to compete. He’s the world’s fourth-richest person, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

The Commanders, which last finished with a winning record in 2016, have an estimated value of about $4.8bn, according to Sportico. At that price, it would exceed the $4.65bn that a group led by Rob Walton paid for the NFL’s Denver Broncos earlier this year.

A Commanders representative declined to comment on Mr Bezos’s interest.

Mr Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com Inc, has been on a buying spree in recent years. In early 2020 he agreed to pay $165 million for a Beverly Hills mansion on nine acres, setting a record for a Los Angeles-area home. He also commissioned a 417-foot-long superyacht, which likely cost more than $500m to build and drew scrutiny earlier this year for almost forcing the dismantling of a Dutch bridge.

Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, was formerly a minority owner of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.

Amazon, meanwhile, is weeks into an 11-year, $13bn deal that makes it the exclusive home of the NFL’s Thursday Night Football. Its first regular-season broadcast drew 13 million viewers to its streaming service, delivering an online audience that rivals traditional TV.

TMZ earlier reported the potential interest, as did the Washington Post, which is owned by Mr Bezos.