What NFL Team is For Sale?
According to recent reports, there are a number of NFL teams that are up for sale. So if you’re looking to get into the NFL ownership game, which team should you buy?
The Teams
The NFL has many teams up for sale due to COVID-19. The following teams are for sale: the Bengals, the Bills, the Dolphins, the Jets, the Panthers, the Texans, and the Titans. Each team has their own unique benefits and drawbacks.
The Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Cardinals were founded as the Morgan Athletic Club in 1898, and are currently the oldest continuously run professional football team in the United States. The Cardinals play their home games at State Farm Stadium, located in Glendale, Arizona. Since their founding, the team has won two NFL championships, both while it was based in Chicago.
The team was established in 1898, and played its first game in Chicago on Thanksgiving Day, 1898 against the Chicago Tigers. In 1920, the Cardinals were moved to St. Louis after owner Chris O’Brien purchased land for a new ballpark next to his existing all-sports venue Sportsman’s Park and persuaded NFL owners to move his franchise there leading up to the builds of Busch Stadium I and II decades later. The Cardinals won their first NFL championship game on December 18th, 1925 against the Pottsville Maroons after finishing the regular season with an 11-2-1 record.
The team moved again after 56 years to Tempe, Arizona in 1988 due to stadium concerns arising from hosting three Super Bowls at Sun Devil Stadium between 1979 and 1983 as well as aging facilities and height issues with Busch Memorial Stadium which made it unable for baseball’s Cardinals to expand much further. In 2006, University of Phoenix Stadium was constructed adjacent to Team Headquarters and training facilities at Tempe Diablo Stadium making for one centralized location for both organizations today.
While there have been many ups and downs since their establishment over 120 years ago, the Arizona Cardinals have continued to be one of America’s most cherished football teams.
The Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays their home games at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. The Bills are the only NFL team that plays their home games in the state of New York. The Bills conduct summer training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, New York, an eastern suburb of Rochester.
The Bills began play as an original franchise of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960. They joined the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger for the 1970 season. The 1964 and 1965 Bills were the only teams representing Buffalo that won major league professional sports championships (“back-to-back” American Football League Championships). The Bills are the only team to win four consecutive conference championships and are the only NFL team to lose four consecutive Super Bowl games. The group was owned by Ralph Wilson from the team’s founding in 1960 until his death in 2014 at age 95. Conway family members – brothers Jim and Jon, and son Doug – now have equal ownership of the franchise; Doug is also president.
The franchise was sold by Wilson for $1.4 billion to Terry and Kim Pegula, which made them to become new owners on October 12, 2014.
The Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football franchise based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Their home stadium is Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati.
The Bengals were founded in 1966 as a member of the American Football League (AFL) by former Cleveland Browns head coach Paul Brown. After the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, “Brownie” remained with +the Bengals as their head coach until his retirement at the end of the 1975 season. Marvin Lewis took over as head coach in 2003 and led+ the franchise to three consecutive playoff appearances, including a divisional title and two wild card berths, during his first three seasons. However, following three consecutive losing seasons, Lewis was fired and replaced by Zac Taylor who has yet to lead them to any playoff appearances during his two seasons as head coach so far.
The Process
It’s not easy becoming an NFL team owner. The National Football League is a closed business, meaning that there are only 32 teams in the league and they are not publicly traded. So, how does one go about becoming an owner? Well, it starts with finding a team that is for sale.
The Bidding Process
The bidding process for an NFL team is a confidential affair. It begins with a letter of interest and then proceeds to a round of verbal bids. After the verbal bids, the prospective ownership group must submit a formal, binding bid to the NFL. This bid must include a purchase price, financing information and a plan for the ownership and operation of the team.
Once the formal bid is submitted, the NFL owners will vote on whether or not to approve the sale. A simple majority is required for approval. If the sale is approved, then the team will be officially sold to the new ownership group.
The Sale Process
The sale of an NFL team is a long and complicated process, one that usually takes several months to complete. The first step is to find a willing buyer who is able to meet the asking price for the team. Once a buyer is found, they will need to undergo a background check by the NFL. This process can take several weeks.
Once the background check is complete and the buyer is approved, the sale price for the team will be set by the NFL’s Finance Committee. This price is usually based on the worth of the franchise, but can also be influenced by other factors such as the desire of the league to keep the team in its current city.
Once a sale price is agreed upon, the actual sale of the team will be conducted by a vote of all NFL owners. At least 24 of 32 owners must approve of the sale for it to be finalized.
The Potential Buyers
There has been much speculation as to which NFL team is for sale. The two teams most often mentioned are the Carolina Panthers and the Buffalo Bills. However, there are several other teams that could be potential buyers. The following is a list of some of the potential buyers.
The Daimler Group
Daimler is a German multinational automotive corporation. Daimler AG is headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. As of 2018, Daimler owns or has stakes in a number of car, bus, and truck brands including Mercedes-Benz, EQC, Mercedes-AMG, Maybach, Freightliner Trucks, Western Star Trucks, BharatBenz, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation, and majority shares in Denza and KAMAZ. The company was founded by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz on 28 November 1886.
The Kroenke Group
The Kroenke Group, headed by Rams owner Stan Kroenke, is one of the potential buyerslooking to purchase an NFL team. Kroenke, who also owns the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche, has the option to buy a 60 percent stake in the St. Louis Rams from Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez. Kroenke would need to sell his other sports teams in order to comply with NFL ownership rules, which state that an individual can only own one team.
The Adelson Family
The Adelson family, which owns the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, is exploring a sale of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, people familiar with the matter said.
The Adelsons are working with an investment bank to gauge interest from buyers for the team, which could fetch more than $2 billion, the people said. It is not clear when a potential sale could happen.
The family bought the Las Vegas Sands in 1995 for $1.3 billion and took it public in 2004. The company now has a market value of about $45 billion.
The Final Decision
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league. As of 2020, there are 32 teams in the NFL. After much discussion, it has been decided that the Seattle Seahawks will be put up for sale.
The Sale of the Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are for sale, and it is unclear who will buy the team or how much they will pay. The Cardinals are one of the most storied franchises in the NFL, and their sale will have ripple effects throughout the league.
The Cardinals were founded in 1898 and are one of the oldest teams in the NFL. They have won two Super Bowls, but they have not been to a Super Bowl since 1947. The team has struggled in recent years, but they are still one of the most popular teams in the league.
The Cardinals are not the only team for sale, but they are the only team that is publicly for sale. The other teams that are for sale are the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets. These teams are all privately held, so it is difficult to know how much they will sell for or who will buy them.
The Cardinals are expected to sell for between $1 billion and $2 billion. It is unclear who will buy the team, but there are a few potential buyers who have been mentioned. The most likely buyers are Stan Kroenke, Jerry Reinsdorf, and Shahid Khan.
Kroenke is a billionaire real estate developer who owns several sports teams, including the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL. He is also a minority owner of the Cardinals. Reinsdorf is the owner of the Chicago Bulls of the NBA and Khan is the owner of Fulham FC of the English Premier League.
It is unknown how much these potential buyers would be willing to pay for the team or if they would even be interested in buying the team. However, if any of them do buy the team, it would be a significant purchase that would have a huge impact on the NFL landscape.
The Sale of the Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays their home games at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. The Bills are the only NFL team that plays its home games in the state of New York. The Bills conduct summer training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, New York, an eastern suburb of Rochester.
Throughout its existence, the franchise has had many owners. Current owner Terry Pegula bought the team in 2014 from previous owner Ralph Wilson Jr., who had owned the team since its founding in 1959. Pegula’s total purchase price was $1.4 billion, making him the most expensive owner in NFL history at that time.
The Sale of the Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are for sale, and a new owner could come in and make some changes. It’s been reported that the team is valued at $2.5 billion, but it’s not clear how much the team will actually sell for. The team has been owned by the Brown family since 1968, and Mike Brown has been the sole owner since 1991.
Brown has been widely criticized for his stewardship of the team, and a new owner could decide to make some changes. The Bengals have only made the playoffs twice in the last 20 years, and they haven’t won a playoff game since 1990. Brown has also been criticized for being cheap, and a new owner could decide to spend more money on players and staff.
If you’re interested in buying the Bengals, you’ll need to be prepared to spend a lot of money. But if you’re patient, you could end up with a team that is primed for success.
