Walmart’s Rob Walton, Potential Broncos Buyer, Is Related to Rams Owner

The Walmart billionaire is reportedly set to bid around $4.5 billion to acquire the team.

Rob Walton, the heir of the Walmart franchise, is expected to make a bid for the Broncos for around $4.5–5 billion, per the New York Post.

If he makes this offer, it would become the largest bid for an NFL team in history. He is worth around $70.5 billion, according to Forbes.

Walton, coincidentally, is related to the current Rams owner Stan Kroenke through marriage. Walton’s cousin is Kroenke’s wife, Ann.

Unlike Kroenke, who has ownership stakes in a number of teams, Walton has not previously owned a professional sports franchise. NFL teams are a rare commodity, so it isn’t surprising to see Walton attempt to purchase one of the league’s major franchises.

Previously, Robert F. Smith was seen as the likely choice to buy the Broncos. If he is successful, he would become the NFL’s first Black owner. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Patriots owner Robert Kraft have reportedly pushed Smith to become Denver’s new owner, per the New York Post.

The bid deadline was on Friday, although nothing has been made official yet.

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