Walmart heir Rob Walton hasn’t won the bidding for the Denver Broncos just yet, but he is the presumed favorite.
Walton is leading one of four groups that are expected to submit second-round bids for Denver’s NFL franchise by this afternoon. The three other groups are led by Josh Harris, Jose E. Feliciano and Mat Ishbia, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.
Walton’s group, which includes his son-in-law, Greg Penner, is expected to submit a bid worth about $4.5 billion, according to Mike Ozanian of Forbes.com. Ozanian also reported that Walton is set to become the team’s new owner after winning the bid.
With an estimated net worth north of $60 billion, Walton has long been considered the presumed favorite, but multiple outlets — including USA TODAY — indicated Monday that the Forbes report is premature.
Second-round bids “haven’t been submitted yet and therefore reports about one finalist emerging as a favorite are premature,” Parker Gabriel of USA TODAY Sports tweeted Monday morning.
Rob Walton, the Wal-Mart heir, has naturally been considered to be in a strong position by many over recent weeks and months, though, considering his net worth far outstrips any other bidder or bidding group in the field. Process could move quickly once the bids are in.
— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel) June 6, 2022
Meanwhile, Broncos kicker Brandon McManus tweeted Monday that the winning bid will be in the range of $5 billion.
$5 Billion will win @Broncos ownership bid per sources
— Brandon McManus (@thekidmcmanus) June 6, 2022
Regardless of whether it’s closer to $4.5 billion or $5 billion, the sale is expected to set a new record price for a sports team in the United States.
Once the bids are submitted on Monday afternoon, the process could move along quickly, with a new owner potentially announced later this month.
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