The Washington Commanders are inching closer to beginning a new era and perhaps starting over with a clean slate.
Dan Snyder, who has owned the team since 1999, has been looking to sell the team, and it looks like he will sell the team to a group headed by Josh Harris, who is a billionaire investor.
Commanders insider Nicki Jhabvala reported that Harris and Mitchell Rales went to the NFL’s league office in New York City to meet with the league’s finance committee.
Josh Harris and Mitchell Rales arrived at NFL offices in Manhattan to meet with the finance committee about their $6.05 billion deal to purchase the Commanders from Dan Snyder. pic.twitter.com/BNM1ZqIiVI
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) June 7, 2023
Harris’ group is large and includes NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, who already owns a stake in Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers.
Harris himself already is a member of groups that own the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League.
He previously expressed interest in purchasing the Denver Broncos before Walmart heir Rob Walton ended up buying the team.
The Commanders will also be entering a new era on the field, as head coach Ron Rivera decided to hand the reins of the offense over to quarterback Sam Howell.
Howell, who was a rookie last season, started just one game, and he’s hardly a prime candidate to someday get named to the Pro Bowl.
Washington also has the misfortune of playing in a very tough NFC East division that features the defending conference champion Philadelphia Eagles, an improved Dallas Cowboys team, and the surprising New York Giants.
The Commanders, who were once a very respected and successful franchise in the 1980s and early 1990s, have made the playoffs just six times in the 24 years Snyder has owned them.
