The world reportedly has 2,781 billionaires. One of them is now, officially per Forbes, Commanders limited partner Magic Johnson.
Johnson, who rose to fame as a basketball star with the Lakers, is worth $1.2 billion, in the assessment of the folks who put the list together.
Last year, Johnson bought four percent of the Commanders in a $6.05 billion transaction. That translates to $242 million.
The richest person in the world is Bernard Arnault, at an estimated $233 million. Fourteen people are in the $100 billion club; none currently own NFL franchise. Jeff Bezos, third at $194 billion, is believed to be interested in eventually buying a team.
“Rob Walton & family,” as designated on the list, has $77.4 billion. That puts them at No. 19. And it gives Denver the richest NFL ownership group, by far.
The next NFL owner on the list is David Tepper of the Panthers, at No. 94. He’s worth $20.6 billion. Which can pay for a lot of drinks to be thrown on an unsuspecting Jaguars fan.
Rams owner Stan Kroenke is third in the NFL and 115th on the list, at $16.2 billion.
The world has more billionaires than ever. Given that the NFL has 32 multi-billion-dollar franchises, it’s no surprise that folks in and around Kansas City refused to extend a sales tax to help pay for renovations to the stadium in which the Chiefs play. Now more than ever, NFL owners can afford to pay for their own stadiums.
Hayden Hurst’s season ended last year after he suffered a concussion in Week 10, but he says there are no issues going forward.
Hurst, who was with the Panthers last season and is now with the Chargers, said that he could have returned late last season, but the Panthers’ front office felt it made more sense for him to rest up, given that Carolina had the worst record in the NFL.
“I had the concussion and for a week after it was a little touch-and-go, but I went to the Mayo Clinic down in Jacksonville, got a second opinion, got full clear bill of health,” Hurst said. “The only reason I sat out as long as I did was just, from the front office, there was really no point. They were 2-15, or 2-13 at the time, so there was really no point in rushing back.”
Hurst believes he’s going to be a major contributor in Los Angeles this season, hopefully for a team that still has plenty to play for at the end of the season.
The Seahawks are adding a player who may help in the return game.
Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Media, Seattle is signing receiver Laviska Shenault.
A Jaguars second-round pick in 2020, Shenault was traded to the Panthers before the start of the 2022 season. He served as a kick returner at points during the last two seasons, averaging 27.7 yards per return on nine attempts. He had six returns in eight games last season.
With the new kick return rule passing, Shenault may have an increased value with Seattle.
Shenault caught 121 passes for 1,219 yards with five touchdowns in his first two seasons. But he only had 37 catches for 332 yards with one TD in the last two years with Carolina.
Panthers pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney tied a career high in sacks during his tenth NFL season, in Baltimore. He hopes to build on that in his first year with Carolina.
During his introductory press conference, the first overall pick in the 2014 draft called 2023 his “Kobe Bryant” year.
“That was very important, really for myself because I already knew I could play the game and make plays,’' Clowney said, via David Newton of ESPN.com. “I tell people all the time if I play in 16, 17 games, it’s going to look like a Pro Bowl season. That’s all I got to do, is just be out there playing. . . . I know I can make the plays no matter what team I’m on. I’ve just got to be available and take care of myself. The older I get the more I figure out how to stay healthier.”
Clowney said he changed to No. 24 as a nod to when Bryant switched to that number.
“That was my Kobe Bryant year, the return of the killer,’' Clowney said. “I said Kobe [year] because when I was in Cleveland a lot of stuff happened my last year there when I didn’t have my best season. . . . They put out that article about me saying all this about what was going on.’'
The article was based on a claim from Clowney that the Browns favored Myles Garrett, and that the Browns engineered the defense to maximize Garrett’s chances to flourish.
This year, Clowney will shed No. 24 and return to No. 7, his number from high school and college. He said No. 24 has served its purpose.
“I said I just need one opportunity to show these people I still can do this at a high level and I’m not the guy they make me out to be,’' Clowney said. “That’s all I wanted to do that whole offseason, prove that to people.
Clowney has proven himself many times over. Despite the fact that he’s never had double-digit sacks, he is a disruptive force that makes it easier for other players to get to the player with the ball. He’s a master of what Chris Simms calls “eff up the play” (I was going to use the word but, hey, it’s Easter). As Clowney said, if he’s healthy he can still get it done.
That’s the biggest if. He played 17 games (with 15 starts) in 2023. It was the first time he appeared in every regular-season game since 2017.
It’s frankly amazing that he played in every game last year. He has microfracture surgery after his rookie year. That’s a procedure aimed at rectifying a bone-on-bone condition.
Nine seasons later, he’s still going. And he had one of his best years yet in Baltimore.
Edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney is returning home for the 2024 season after signing with the Panthers and he’s hopeful that he won’t be the only Rock Hill, South Carolina native to suit up for the team this year.
Clowney said at a Friday press conference that he spoke to his former high school teammate Stephon Gilmore before signing with the Panthers and Gilmore said that he’s been talking to the team as well. Clowney said he will be trying to influence an agreement between the sides so that the two players can line up on the same side once again.
“I’m looking forward to that. Hopefully he pull up and come play here. Me and him, have some fun here,” Clowney said.
Gilmore spent the second half of the 2021 season with the Panthers after they picked him up in a trade with the Patriots. He moved on to stints with the Colts and Cowboys the last two years, but there may be another homecoming in the cards.
