When Adam Schefter broke the news Thursday that DC billionaire Mitchell Rales had joined Josh Harris in his attempt to buy the Washington Commanders, we finally had some news on the sale.
This was a positive development for Washington fans, who’ve grown increasingly impatient with the sale process. While this latest news doesn’t mean Harris and Rales are buying the Commanders, it certainly sounds like they’re deep in the process.
On Thursday evening, Mark Maske and Liz Clarke of The Washington Post reported that Snyder had been in contact with his fellow owners and had some positive news.
Snyder and the Commanders have communicated to the NFL’s team owners that there are “multiple bidders” for the franchise whom the owners and the league will “love” and that the sales price “is looking good,” a person familiar with the NFL’s inner workings and the views of the owners said this week.
While that qualifies as positive news, some are still hesitant that Snyder will willfully sell the Commanders, especially if he doesn’t receive indemnification from the NFL and other owners against future legal liabilities and costs.
Later Thursday night, Charles Gasparino of FOX Business sent out the following tweet:
Scoop: I am told by people involved in the sale process for the @Commanders that @NFL wants final bids in the next couple of weeks to make late March owners meeting soft deadline story developing
— Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) March 10, 2023
Gasparino has been reporting on the Commanders’ sale for weeks.
If you consider both reports, it does align with what the NFL wanted all along: Resolution by the NFL owner’s meetings, which begin on March 26. But with so much changing daily, conflicting reports could come out over the weekend that temper expectations yet again.
The new NFL league year opens next week, and head coach Ron Rivera has stated it will be business as usual for the Commanders.
We’ll continue to follow this story.