Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has emerged as a contender to buy the New York Jets – after being outbid by Josh Harris in the $6billion Washington Commanders deal last year.
Bezos has an estimated wealth $223billion and the Jets, owned by Woody Johnson, are valued at $6.9billion by Forbes.
And according to online gambling site Beovada, Bezos is favorite to eventually own the franchise and fulfill what appears to be a long-held ambition of taking over an NFL team.
Johnson bought the Jets in a $635million deal in 2000 and while there is no suggestion at present that he is looking to sell, he could soon be forced to step back from the day-to-day running.
Johnson served as the Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 2017 under Donald Trump and is expected to be involved in the new administration next year – potentially even in the same position as before.
If he is given a role by Trump, it would be anticipated Johnson’s brother Christopher would inherit the day-to-day running of the organization but if things change and he chose to sell up, fans are confident that Bezos would lead the race to buy the franchise.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has emerged as a contender to buy the New York Jets
Woody Johnson’s team are enduring another tough season with Aaron Rodgers as quarterback
Johnson could return to an ambassadorial role alongside incoming president Donald Trump
Johnson is not hugely popular with the Jets fanbase after another season that seems destined to unravel with the team 3-8 for the season ahead of Sunday’s game against Seattle Seahawks – another team close to Bezos.
After he was outbid for the Commanders by Harris, it was widely speculated that the Seahawks would be the next target for Bezos.
Bezos settled in Seattle when he founded Amazon in 1994.
The Jets are having a nightmare season with 40-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers struggled to recapture the form he is renowned for, while Johnson fired head coach Robert Saleh and, earlier this month, general manager Joe Douglas.
Johnson needs to hire a new coach and GM and potentially find a new signal-caller for his team, depending on how the next few weeks unfold. And this is all amid the backdrop of potentially working for Trump again when he takes over as President next year.
But for Bezos, he may look to the Commanders for inspiration given how the change of ownership there has ushered in a complete turnaround for the organization’s fortune.
The drafted rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who has led a transformation on the field with the team second in the NFC East and the postseason firmly in their sights.
Bezos was linked with a joint-takeover of the Commanders with rapper Jay-Z, who was at the game last Sunday against the Cowboys.
And remarkably, if Bezos is not interested in buying the Jets, Bovada lists Elon Musk as the second favorite to purchase the team.
