Tom Brady may no longer play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the superstar quarterback’s retirement a year ago apparently isn’t hurting the team’s value.
At least in the eyes of one interested — and wealthy — party.
According to a report by Sportico on Wednesday, the Glazer family — owners of the team — turned down an offer of more than $6.05 billion to purchase the club. The report did not say when the offer was made, only that the proposal was made “recently.”
Citing someone familiar with the details of the offer, Sportico added that the bidder was viewed as a “qualified buyer,” meaning they could afford to make the purchase.
The price would have not only been the highest ever paid for an NFL team but a world record for purchasing control of a sports franchise, per Sportico.
Though the Bucs did not respond to requests for comment made by Sportico, the Glazers’ willingness to part with at least partial control of sports franchises is no secret. Earlier this year the family sold a 25 percent stake in Manchester United of the Premier League for a reported $1.6 billion. According to Forbes, Man U is the second-most valuable soccer club in the world at $6.55 billion. Spanish La Liga team Real Madrid is first at $6.6 billion.
In its most recent valuations last August, Forbes valued the Bucs at $4.2 billion, which is 24th among the 32 NFL teams.
The Glazers bought the Buccaneers in 1995 for $192 million.
