It’s been an offseason of change in the Mile High City. And it’s not quite official, but the Denver Broncos appear on the verge of new ownership.
It is one of the original eight franchises born in the American Football League. The Denver Broncos debuted in 1960 and after a rough beginning have been one of the league’s most successful teams.
Dating back to the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, only the Pittsburgh Steelers (495), Dallas Cowboys (471), New England Patriots (466) and Miami Dolphins (461) have won more regular-season games than the Broncos (456). And after making a habit of losing Super Bowls, the franchise has hoisted three Lombardi Trophies.
This offseason, the organization hired a new head coach in former Green Bay Packers’ offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. But the team made even bigger headlines when they gave up plenty to obtain perennial Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks.
But that news, while obviously substantial, could take a big-time back seat to what could become official very soon.
Now apparently noting is set in stone. Quite the contrary, as explained by Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal earlier today.
Cork Gaines of Business Insider reminded us that back in 1984, the late Pat Bowlen and his family purchased the Broncos’ franchise from Edgar Kaiser and two minority owners for the now-economical amount of $71 million. That seems almost unimaginable these days. Of course, the Hall of Fame executive is one reason for the league’s growth over the past three-plus decades.
Buoyed by the trade for Russell Wilson, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the Denver Broncos this upcoming season. It’s a club that hasn’t reached the playoffs since winning Super Bowl 50 back in 2015. And now the franchise is on the verge of some very big news regarding its future.
