For the first time in a pretty long time, we got what appears to be a substantial update regarding the Denver Broncos‘ ownership situation late on Tuesday night. According to multiple reports, the trial that was set to take place in July between some of Pat Bowlen’s children and the Pat Bowlen Trust has been vacated.
What this ultimately means remains a mystery. Up to this point, there has been nothing official regarding a settlement between the two parties, but a statement issued by Beth Bowlen-Wallace last December indicated that she would do something like this if the Denver Broncos were put up for sale.
Remember that in December, Beth Bowlen Wallace put out lengthy statement essentially saying she and Amie Klemmer would walk away from trial if #Broncos were put up for sale.
— Ryan O'Halloran (@ryanohalloran) June 30, 2021
That's my guess of what this will entail and I'm sticking to it.
Should this ultimately result in the sale of the team, those in league circles estimate the Denver Broncos could set a new bar for the value of an NFL franchise.
The Carolina Panthers were sold to David Tepper in 2018 for an NFL-record $2.275 billion. Seth Wickersham of ESPN reported some information he had received from NFL ownership sources that if the Denver Broncos were sold, the value could be somewhere in the $8-10 billion range.
That estimate comes with the roster as currently constructed, without league MVP Aaron Rodgers.
There is zero guarantee of the Denver Broncos acquiring Aaron Rodgers. With that being said, at last we heard from 850 KOA Broncos insider Benjamin Allbright, there’s a “60-40” chance of it happening.
It would require a bounty of picks and players going to the Green Bay Packers to acquire Rodgers, and that’s if general manager Brian Gutekunst even makes him available in the first place. With that being said, would there be some pressure from the higher-ups to do whatever it takes to make a deal to make sure the Denver Broncos get sold for top dollar?
At this point, I would say that’s at least a bit of a stretch, but who knows?
How big of a difference would acquiring Aaron Rodgers before the Denver Broncos are sold — if that is to happen — actually make?
My guess is — substantial.
The Denver Broncos are already expected to reset the NFL franchise value if they are ultimately sold, and the recent league partnerships with gambling companies is a huge reason for that.
With that all being said, even with an inflated value already, acquiring Aaron Rodgers would probably allow Joe Ellis and the Bowlen Trust to pretty much name their price in any (at this point hypothetical) sale.
A roster as talented as Denver’s with one of the league’s most loyal fan bases and an MVP quarterback?
Even as high as the value in any potential sale is expected to be, there is no question that adding Rodgers to the mix would increase the value substantially. It would also give Joe Ellis the opportunity to truly leave the Denver Broncos in a better place. Over the last five years, since winning Super Bowl 50, the Broncos have unfortunately been one of the worst teams in the NFL, trying to find their way in the post-Peyton Manning era.
Although no one in the public eye would ever admit it, it’s entirely possible that there could be pressure behind the scenes to do whatever it takes to get a trade done with the Green Bay Packers.
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Bringing in Rodgers — easier said than done — would make this team an instant Super Bowl contender, and what prospective NFL owner wouldn’t want to buy in at the outset of the value of teams skyrocketing with an MVP and superstar under center and a shot to immediately win it all?