Report: Arkansas alum, Walmart heir to submit bid on NFL team

Former Walmart Board of Directors Chair and Arkansas alumni, Rob Walton is poised to make a bid for the Denver Broncos that is expected to be worth more than $4 billion, according to the Sports Business Journal. Walton, 77, is the 17th-richest person on the planet with a net worth of $68.9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. 

The eldest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton, is a 1966 graduate of the University of Arkansas and the Columbia University School of Law before going on to join the family business in 1978 where he’d hold major managerial positions for the last five decades and served as the board of directors char from 1992 through 2015.

If were to be successful in his attempt to purchase the Broncos, Walton would land himself at No. 3 on the Forbes list of the richest sports owners. Panthers owner David Tepper is the only NFL owner currently on the list.

Walton’s near $70 billion net worth gives him the luxury of being able to offer more cash than any other bidder and the team is expected to sell at around $5 billion when the deal is all said and done. While Walton has no background in football, it remains unseen if he’s legitimately invested in the franchise for if he sees this opportunity like any other of his business ventures in the past.

It should also be noted that Walton is a cousin by marriage of Rams owner Stan Kroenke, so there is some familiarity with the position if Walton were to secure the final bid on a Denver team that is currently in a ‘win-now’ situation after the litany of offseason moves the team has put together since the 2021-2022 season ended by acquiring key pieces such as quarterback Russell Wilson and landing some highly-touted defensive talent.