The Denver Broncos have a family ownership issue.
With Pat Bowlen’s health fading, the succession plan for the controlling ownership stake of the Broncos franchise has become the elephant in the room. Beth Bowlen-Wallace — Pat’s daughter — has stepped in and has been attempting to add her name to the list of potential successors, but the Broncos board of trustees have pushed back against the idea.
While there is an insane amount of dysfunction surrounding the Bowlen family, as well as the future ownership of the Denver Broncos, the one thing that they do not have to worry about is the equity they have built over decades and decades.
A NFL ownership source told me recently that if the Denver Broncos hit the market — if the team doesn’t stay in the Bowlen family — it’ll go for such a massive sum that it could reset franchise values and make the Panthers seem like a nice little transaction.
— Seth Wickersham (@SethWickersham) June 1, 2018
According to Seth Wickersham of ESPN The Magazine, an NFL ownership source told him that if the Broncos are to hit the market — which would require the Bowlen family deciding to sell the franchise — that the team would be worth such an enormous sum that it could “reset franchise values and make the Panthers seem like a nice little transaction.”
As the Bowlen family dysfunction continues to escalate, there will be more and more potential buyers lining up for a shot to purchase such a storied franchise with a relentless fan base. There are few teams in the National Football League that carry the clout, winning culture, and the following that the Broncos have built.
The question remains as to how the Board of Trustees wish to proceed. They will make any final decisions and hold the future of the franchise in their hands.
