Denver Broncos

New Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson is reportedly prioritizing "getting comfortable with personnel, helping set team culture and developing chemistry with the locker room," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on SportsCenter Sunday morning.

He continued:

"So two of those three items are team building, that's really what he's been all about. Also, it's about taking ownership of the offense.

"He's wanted for the last few years really the chance to prioritize how the offense is run, have things to his liking exactly, probably a little more passing than in the past. And so he's been working in detail with head coach Nathaniel Hackett, whether it's on the tablet or in person in his office just trying to hash out how this is going to look on the field next week."

The Broncos had quite the offseason, acquiring Wilson and a 2022 fourth-round pick from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for Drew Lock, Noah Fant, Shelby Harris, first- and second-round picks in 2022 and 2023, and a 2022 fifth-rounder.

The goal for the Broncos was simple: solidify the quarterback position for the first time since Peyton Manning's time in Denver, and help lead the team back to the postseason for the first time since Manning led the Broncos to a Super Bowl win in 2016.

It wasn't the only change for the organization this offseason, as Hackett also took over as head coach.

Since Manning, the Broncos have cycled through a long list of mediocre quarterbacks, from Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch and Brock Osweiler to Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, Drew Lock, Brandon Allen, Jeff Driskel, Brett Rypien, Phillip Lindsay and Teddy Bridgewater.

So, Wilson will be an enormous upgrade for the Broncos, even coming off a tough season for the Seahawks that saw him battle through a finger injury and miss the playoffs for just the second time in his career.

The nine-time Pro Bowler and one-time champion still threw for 3,113 yards, 25 scores and six interceptions, completing 64.8 percent of his passes. But there were rumors that Wilson wasn't happy with Seattle's offensive philosophy in recent years, and the chance to have more of a say in Denver's game plan should appeal to the veteran quarterback.

The 33-year-old will have solid weapons to work with, from wideouts Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick and KJ Hamler to running backs Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon III. Expectations are high in Denver, and meeting them falls heavily on Wilson's shoulders.

The new Denver Broncos ownership group has had discussions about bringing Peyton Manning on in an advisory role, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Per Schefter, the role could lead to Manning becoming part of the ownership group and having equity in the franchise.

The Broncos announced Tuesday that the franchise has been sold to the Walton-Penner family, led by Walmart heir Rob Walton. The sale reportedly totaled $4.65 billion, per Mike Klis of 9News, a record for any U.S. sports franchise.

Manning spent the final four years of his playing career with the Broncos, leading the team to a Super Bowl title after the 2015 season before retiring.

The Hall of Famer also won Comeback Player of the Year in 2012, his first year with the organization. In 2013, he won his fifth career MVP award while setting NFL records with 5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdown passes. The Broncos reached the Super Bowl that year before losing to the Seattle Seahawks.

Though Manning spent the majority of his career with the Indianapolis Colts, his success during a brief stint in Denver earned him a spot in the team's Ring of Fame last year.

The 46-year-old now has a chance to play a role within the organization as it heads into a new era.

Manning, who earned nearly $250 million during his playing career and plenty more through endorsements, could soon also own a share of a team he starred for as a player.

The Denver Broncos will start anew in many ways in 2022. They have new ownership, an incoming coaching staff and a fresh face of the franchise in quarterback Russell Wilson.

Rob Walton, the Walmart heir, bought the Broncos for $4.65 billion, and his daughter, Carrie Walton Penner, and son-in-law, Greg Penner, will become the "top two day-to-day Broncos bosses," per 9News' Mike Klis.

What could be the first order of business on the football side? Well, the Broncos' new ownership group should buy into head coach Nathaniel Hackett's plan to "Let Russ Cook."

Somehow, critics (many of them Seattle Seahawks fans and rival AFC West fanbases) have talked themselves into the thought that Wilson belongs in the category of washed-up NFL stars.

Okay, now let's get back to reality.

In September, Wilson will be ready to put on a Broncos jersey like an apron and chop up defenses like the most talented restaurant cook in Denver. He hears the doubters, and Mr. Unlimited will use that motivation to bounce back from a statistically down season.

While different people have varying interpretations of what it means to "Let Russ Cook," which is something Seahawks fan Zach Whitman started in response to Seattle's 24-22 Wild Card loss to the Dallas Cowboys in 2019, Hackett summed it up succinctly.

When asked about how he'll run the offense, Hackett said via Klis, "It's going to be what Russell likes to do."

While that doesn't seem like a sound plan, the Seahawks actually had some success when they allowed Wilson to take an aggressive approach, which is exactly what Whitman highlighted when he talked about the genesis of the idea.

Through the first eight weeks of the 2020 season, Wilson threw for 26 touchdowns and just six interceptions. As an early MVP candidate, he lit defenses on fire, but the offense fell flat in the second half of the campaign. Wilson tossed 14 touchdown passes and seven interceptions from Weeks 9 and 17.

While on the I AM ATHLETE podcast, wide receiver DK Metcalf told retired NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall that the offense became too predictable under head coach Pete Carroll, and defenders made sure not to give up the deep ball on play-action passes downfield:

What happened to Seahawks offense, explained (quickly) by DK Metcalf pic.twitter.com/dQBwmSPFPr

— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) January 25, 2021

Last season, the Seahawks didn't do much cooking aerially, throwing the second-fewest pass attempts. On top of that, Wilson missed three games after he broke his finger in Week 5 and struggled with inconsistencies upon his return, throwing for zero touchdowns in three contests between Weeks 10 and 18.

Why would the Broncos go back to a plan that only worked through the first half of a season two years ago?

Because unlike his situation in Seattle, Wilson has an offensive-minded head coach in Hackett, who can make some on-the-spot game-day tweaks to the passing attack. Keep in mind that the Seahawks fired offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer following the 2020 campaign. Last season, they hired a first-time play-caller in Shane Waldron.

Hackett has his first head-coaching job, but his NFL play-calling resume goes back to the 2013 season when he was with the Buffalo Bills. As an offensive coordinator, he helped lead the Jacksonville Jaguars to the AFC Championship Game with a unit that ranked fifth in scoring and sixth in yards for the 2017 term.

Though Hackett didn't serve as the lead play-caller under Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, he earned the respect of four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers:

"We gotta great coaching staff on both sides of the ball & I think this is a little overdue for Nathaniel Hackett.. he is a great coach & a fantastic teacher"@AaronRodgers12 on the Packers coaching staff getting interviewed for head coaching jobs #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/r5884KipGX

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 11, 2022

In areas where the Seahawks offense went stale, Hackett can refresh the scheme to keep defenses guessing and still allow Wilson to take full command of an aggressive attack.

Based on Rodgers' thoughts about his relationship with Hackett from November 2020, the Broncos have a head coach who can build a strong rapport with his lead signal-caller on and off the field.

"There's nobody in the building that brings me more joy or is more fun to be around than Nathaniel Hackett. He's become such a close confidant and friend besides a fantastic coach. I just really, really can't express enough how important he is to our team in so many ways."

Rodgers suggested that Hackett had a way to keep him engaged and teach the game, which makes it a lot easier to take constructive criticism and direction.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Carroll and Wilson had a rocky relationship that The Athletic's Mike Sando, Michael-Shawn Dugar, and Jayson Jenks chronicled up until the last offseason when trade rumors swirled around the former Seahawks quarterback.

With that peek behind the Seahawks' curtain, no one should be surprised that Wilson waived his no-trade clause to find out if the grass is greener in Denver.

Of course, Carroll has a more prominent position in Seattle than Hackett held in Green Bay, but Wilson has a head coach who probably isn't going to battle him in a power struggle over control of the offense. Based on Hackett's comments during organized team activities, he wants his star signal-caller to take full charge.

"It's all about the command of the system. We want to build this thing completely around him and make sure that he's comfortable and watch him come alive. I think he did some awesome things [in practice] utilizing his athleticism, and at the same time, being just a pure drop-back passer."

Wilson has earned the right to have a strong influence over an offense. He's a nine-time Pro Bowler with a ring and two Super Bowl appearances as the starting quarterback of the Seahawks.

While we can make the argument that those Seahawks clubs won with an iconic defense (the Legion of Boom) and a power run game that featured Marshawn Lynch, Wilson kept the club in playoff contention long after the departure of its star defenders and Beast Mode. During his 10-year run in Seattle, the club missed the playoffs twice.

Within a few months, Wilson has already embraced a leadership role, and he's drawn comparisons to Peyton Manning when he played for Denver between 2012 and 2015, according to wide receiver Courtland Sutton (h/t ESPN's Jeff Legwold).

"His knowledge of the game is to a different level. It comes to him so easy, he wants everyone around him to understand it the way he understands it. ... [But] you all can feel it, we all can feel it, the juice is just different. I wasn't here when Peyton Manning was here, but everyone who was here when Peyton was said the juice is similar. ... Everyone understands we have to operate at a different level, a different standard."

Sutton is just one of many teammates that will allow Wilson to put together five-star performances as the maestro in the Broncos' huddle. Despite Denver's unsettled and underwhelming quarterback situation, the fifth-year wideout had a 2019 Pro Bowl season and averages 15.2 yards per catch. Two years removed from a torn ACL that sidelined him for all but one game, he's an underrated go-to receiver.

With that said, Sutton doesn't have to become a star in the passing attack because the Broncos have great depth at wideout.

Jerry Jeudy, who caught 52 passes for 856 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie, will attempt to rebound from an injury-riddled 2021 campaign in which he missed seven games. Going into his third year, he still has a lot of upside. If Jeudy avoids a major issue with his groin, he'll benefit from a significant upgrade at quarterback.

On the boundary opposite Sutton, Tim Patrick will probably round out a strong 11 personnel group. Over the past two seasons, he's hauled in 104 passes for 1,476 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Wilson will have two big red-zone targets in Sutton (6'4", 216 lbs) and Patrick (6'4", 212 lbs), who can put a lot of pressure on defenses while in striking distance of a touchdown. Meanwhile, Jeudy brings speed and slot versatility—KJ Hamler can potentially do the same after taking notes from Seahawks wideout Tyler Lockett.

While on the mend from a torn ACL, Hamler took time to see how he could mimic Lockett, which would put him in a good position to produce with Wilson under center, per The Athletic's Nick Kosmider.

"I’m a big fan of Tyler’s game and me and him have talked a lot. I’ve just been picking his brain, like, ‘How does Russ handle these situations?’ It’s being a sponge, absorbing knowledge from two Pro Bowl guys. I put on Tyler’s film and I’m like, ‘OK, he did this and he did that.’ And then it’s, ‘OK, I can do all this.’ I’ve just got to go out there and play and get back on the field.'”

With only 35 receptions for 455 yards and three touchdowns through 16 games, Hamler will go into the 2022 season as the X-factor in the offense, capable of making explosive plays.

Wilson can spice up the offense with throws to a pair of tight ends in Albert Okwuegbunam and rookie third-rounder Greg Dulcich. He also has a running back duo in Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon III, who combined for 71 receptions for 529 yards and five touchdowns last year.

With a steady offensive line that could return three primary starters and welcome back interior offensive lineman Graham Glasgow from a season-ending injury in Week 9, Wilson has all the ingredients to serve up big point totals all year.

Now that Wilson has an offensive head coach calling the shots, he can become a better lead chef. While Carroll is known for his concerted effort to establish the run, Hackett seems more inclined to "Let Russ Cook."

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.

Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils governor Josh Harris was reportedly willing to pay $5 billion for the NFL's Denver Broncos had he been granted assurance that it would have been the winning bid.

According to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, Harris didn't get that assurance and ultimately didn't bid $5 billion out of fear that the Walton-Penner group would surpass his bid and drive the price up.

Harris reportedly decided against that since he has plans to buy a different NFL franchise in the future and didn't want to inflate the price by bidding too high on the Broncos.

Ultimately, the Walton-Penner family agreed to purchase the Broncos for $4.65 billion on Tuesday, per ESPN's Jeff Legwold, establishing a new record sale price for a North American sports franchise.

The Walton-Penner group, led by Walmart heir Rob Walton; his daughter, Carrie Walton Penner; and her husband, Greg Penner, are set to buy the Broncos from the Bowlen family should the sale get approved.

Approval will take between 60 and 90 days, and it requires 24 "yes" votes from the NFL's other owners. ESPN's Adam Schefter (h/t Legwold) noted that the sale isn't expected to hit any snags.

In the Broncos, the Walton-Penner group is acquiring one of the most successful franchises in NFL history.

The Broncos are 15-time AFC West champions, eight-time Super Bowl finalists and three-time Super Bowl champions, including their most recent title in 2015.

While Denver has missed the playoffs in each of the past six seasons, there is reason for optimism in 2022 and beyond following the acquisition of quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks.

Harris is still in search of his first major championship as governor of the NBA's Sixers, NHL's Devils and English Premier League's Crystal Palace.

Harris purchased the 76ers in 2011. They have become a perennial playoff team over the past five seasons, but they haven't made it out of the second round of the playoffs during that time despite the presence of All-Star center Joel Embiid.

Meanwhile, the Devils have just one playoff appearance and no playoff series wins since Harris purchased them in 2013.

After a long legal battle over the transfer of ownership, the Denver Broncos have been sold to the Walton-Penner family, the franchise announced Tuesday.

The Denver Broncos and the Walton-Penner family have entered into a purchase and sale agreement to acquire the team.

Statements: pic.twitter.com/tMcfuAifeS

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) June 8, 2022

Mike Klis of 9News reported that the Walton-Penner family won with a bid of $4.65 billion, which broke the record for a U.S. sports franchise.

Mike Ozanian of Forbes previously reported that the estimated winning bid was around $4.5 billion.

A sale has been expected for some time, especially in the aftermath of a Jan. 11 ruling by Denver County District Court Judge Shelley I. Gilman that determined a right of first refusal agreement between previous owners Pat Bowlen and Edgar Kaiser was "no longer valid or enforceable in any respect."

The Pat Bowlen Trust announced Feb. 1 that the Broncos were up for sale:

The Pat Bowlen Trust announced today the beginning of a sale process for the Denver Broncos.

Joe Ellis: “Whoever emerges as the new owner will certainly understand what the team means to our great fans and this community.” pic.twitter.com/ubfPc4TjID

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) February 1, 2022

Per Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal, Kaiser maintained a right of first refusal as part of his original sale of the Broncos to Bowlen in 1984.

The clause came up in 2004 when Kaiser claimed Bowlen violated the agreement by offering a 10 percent stake in the franchise to John Elway. A jury ruled in Kaiser's favor, but an appeals court overruled the jury.

Despite the ruling, Elway elected not to invest as a minority owner at that time.

Bowlen, who had Alzheimer's disease, relinquished control of the franchise to Joe Ellis in 2014. Bowlen died at age 75 in 2019.

Ellis began his NFL career as Broncos director of marketing from 1983 to 1985. He spent eight seasons in the league offices as vice president of club administration and stadium management before returning to the Broncos in 1998.

Since 2014, Ellis has been Denver's president and CEO.

Under Bowlen's ownership, the Broncos made 18 playoff appearances and won 13 division titles, seven AFC championships and three Super Bowls.

In August, Forbes' Mike Ozanian and Christina Settimi estimated the Broncos' franchise value at $3.75 billion. It is the 10th-highest valuation among all 32 NFL teams.

Despite high-profile competition in the bidding for the Broncos, it's hard to argue against the credentials that Rob Walton and the Walton-Penner family bring to the table for the franchise and the NFL.

The son of Walmart founder Sam Walton, Rob served as chairman of the retail giant for 23 years after his father's death in 1992.

Walton's family is familiar with sports team ownership. Luke Patterson of Sports Illustrated noted that Walton's cousin Ann is married to Stan Kroenke, who owns the Los Angeles Rams and a number of other sports franchises.

Per Forbes, Walton is the 17th-wealthiest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $68.6 billion.

While the Broncos have missed the playoffs in the past six seasons since winning Super Bowl 50, they are in prime position to be a title contender in 2022. Their roster boasts a lot of talent at skill positions, including Patrick Surtain II, Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton.

General manager George Paton solved the quarterback question this offseason by acquiring Russell Wilson in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks.

Rob Walton has the winning bid to purchase the Denver Broncos for $4.5 billion, according to Mike Ozanian of Forbes.

The sale, which is expected to be formally announced as soon as this month, would be the largest of any sports franchise in history.

Walmart heir Rob Walton will buy the Denver Broncos with a winning bid of $4.5 billion, per @Forbes

It will be the most expensive sale of any sports franchise pic.twitter.com/mrYd1ycEpn

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 6, 2022

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the process is ongoing and that "no favorite has emerged at this time."

Walton, an heir to the Walmart fortune, has an estimated net worth of $59.1 billion, per Forbes, making him the 22nd-richest person in the world. The 77-year-old is the eldest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton and served as the company's chairman from 1992 to 2015.

His daughter, Carrie, and son-in-law, Greg Penner, would also join the ownership group.

The sale would blow away the NFL record set in 2018 when David Tepper purchased the Carolina Panthers for $2.275 billion. A consortium led by Todd Boehly set a new worldwide record last month when it bought the Premier League club Chelsea for $3.2 billion.

The Broncos were valued at $3.75 billion by Forbes last year, but a bidding war has raised the price.

Mike Klis of 9News previously reported the known candidates, including Philadelphia 76ers governor Josh Harris:

Source: 2nd round bids to buy Broncos are due by MONDAY. 4 groups expected to make bids:
1. Rob Walton-Greg Penner
2. Josh Harris
3. Jose E. Feliciano (with Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly)*
4. Matt Ishbia (with Justin).
Byron Allen is 5th group but considered longshot. #9sports

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) May 31, 2022

It created a major increase from the $78 million that Pat Bowlen spent on the franchise in 1984.

After Bowlen died in 2019, a legal dispute among his children led to the sale of the team, which was announced by the Pat Bowlen Trust in February.

Rob Walton appears poised to take over a franchise with a rich history and three Super Bowl titles, the most recent coming in the 2015 season.