Devils, 76ers owner Josh Harris among group to buy NFL’s Commanders

The Dan Snyder era in the nation’s capital appears to be drawing to a close.

Current New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris is part of a group that has reached an agreement with Snyder for the sale of the Washington Commanders – as first reported by Sportico Thursday afternoon. Among the group are NBA Hall-of-Famer Magic Johnson, and billionaire Mitchell Rales. The sale is expected to be worth close to $6 billion.

Snyder bought the team in 1999 from the Jack Kent Cooke estate at a time when the former D.C. powerhouse was the second most valuable franchise in the NFL. Since then, however, the newly-named Commanders have gone 164–220–2 with a post-season record of 2-6 during Snyder’s tenure while recycling quarterbacks, head coaches, and front-office executives. It wasn’t until recent years that speculation about Snyder’s dealings within the organization came to light. In 2020 the Washington Post unearthed accusations from over 40 women that had been sexually harassed within the organization. Since then, the Commanders and Snyder have been investigated by the House Oversight Committee for Financial improprieties.

Dan Snyder sells Commanders to group led by Josh Harris — FILE – Dan Snyder, co-owner and co-CEO of the Washington Commanders, poses for photos during an event to unveil the NFL football team’s new identity, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press the Washington Commanders have bought land in Virginia for what could be a potential site of the NFL team’s next stadium. The 200 acres of land purchased for approximately $100 million is in Woodbridge roughly 25 miles outside the District of Columbia. The Commanders’ lease at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, expires in 2027. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)AP Photos

This is now the third team along the East Coast that Harris has been a part of purchasing since 2010. The Devils and 76ers are the two main teams he is a leading partner under. He is also a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers but NFL rules will force him to sell those shares once the sale of the Commanders has become finalized.

The sale of the Commanders has been a tightly contested enterprise with several major players like Amazon founder Jeff Bezos confirming he would not be buying D.C.’s most popular sports franchise.

While Ian Rappaport of NFL Network later reported that the deal between Harris and Snyder has not been finalized, this is the closest the Commanders have been to changing ownership in recent years. In order to become official, a vote is required amongst the 31 other NFL owners, and at least three-fourths (24) of the governing body must approve the sale.

If the Harris sale is approved, it will be the highest price ever paid for a sports franchise – blowing past the Denver Broncos sale to Rob Walton for $4.6 billion last year.