Another Billionaire Emerges as the New Bidder for Washington Commanders With Jeff Bezos Considered Out of the Bidding Race

Published 03/10/2023, 2:09 AM EST

The Washington Commanders are probably going to finalize their new ownership before the new season kicks off in September. Dan Snyder has announced the sale for quite some time and with Jeff Bezos almost out of the picture, a new suitor has emerged.

For a long time, Amazon owner Bezos was the leader in the race to become the new owner of the NFL franchise. However, Snyder may prefer the new options. Billionaire Mitchell Rales joined Josh Harris’ ownership bid. And things may finally take a step forward.

Who is Mitchell Rales?

Following Dan and Tanya Snyder’s announcement in November that the Washington Commanders were up for sale, several individuals and groups have expressed interest in making an offer, as the Snyders did not provide any details on the matter. Among those who have expressed interest are Bezos and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta. Nevertheless, the joint bid from Rales and Harris may have a slight edge in Snyder’s eyes.

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Rales is a billionaire based out of Maryland and is the owner of a global conglomerate, Danaher Corporation, headquartered in Washington, D.C. With a Forbes-estimated net worth of $5.6 billion, Rales makes a pretty powerful addition to Harris’ bid. Josh Harris owns the Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils, in addition to being the founder of Apollo Global Management. And his net worth is somewhere around the $6.2 billion range.

DC billionaire Mitchell Rales is partnering with Josh Harris in their attempt to buy the Washington Commanders, per league source. Rales is the co-founder of the Danaher Corporation, DC’s largest company.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2023

Former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III, who formerly offered to be a part owner along with some select fans, thinks this can be a huge win for the Commanders, given the new owners have previous experience running successful sporting franchises.

Why did Jeff Bezos fall out of contention?

Jeff Bezos’ $117 billion net worth wasn’t enough to convince Dan Snyder. And Bezos had other incentives, too. His home was under an hour’s drive to the Washington Commanders’ Maryland facility. Also, Bezos is the owner of the Washington Post.

Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder is preventing Jeff Bezos from submitting a bid for the team, per @nypost. pic.twitter.com/KQ6UwBhGRh
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) February 25, 2023

However, that strangely seemed to be the biggest problem for the Snyders. Dan and his wife and co-CEO Tanya didn’t like all the bad-mouthing the Washington Post did about a Washington Football side that has been struggling for quite some time.

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The new Rales-Harris bid seems safer as the owners wouldn’t have any major print or media outlet under their belt. After two days of committee meetings in Palm Beach, Florida, Snyder has assured that the NFL will be quite fond of the new owners and looks as though Josh and Mitchell are it.

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Written by:

Soumyapriyo Ganguly is an NFL writer at Essentially Sports. He holds a degree in Economics and Statistics from the Indian School of Business and Finance. Rivu is a sports nerd with his favorites being Soccer, American Football, Basketball, UFC, and Formula 1.

Edited by:

Abigail Kevichusa