Broncos owners Carrie Walton Penner and Greg Penner currently hold 40 percent of the MLB’s Colorado Rockies. Whenever baseball’s looming labor mess ends, they’re expected to emerge with controlling interest in the local baseball franchise
Via Woody Paige of the Colorado Springs Gazette, the Penners intend to acquire another 35 percent of the Rockies once the baseball Collective Bargaining Agreement is resolved.
The Walton-Penner group bought the Broncos in 2022 for a then-record $4.65 billion, less than half the recent price paid for the Seahawks.
Their fortune traces to the Walmart empire, which has spawned a cluster of multibillionaires. The Broncos’ ownership group instantly because the richest in the NFL, by far, and they’re willing to spend their money for the betterment of the team — which gives them a real advantage over their competitors.
Last year, in their fourth season of ownership, the Broncos won the No. 1 seed in the AFC and nearly secured a Super Bowl berth, The team is one of the short-list favorites for 2026.
While it’s been trending this way for months, Chiefs head coach all but made it official on Tuesday:
Patrick Mahomes is set to start the Week 1 matchup against the Broncos.
“Pretty good chance Patrick will go ahead and start, unless something were to come up here in the next couple days,” Reid said in his Tuesday video conference. “But, most likely, he’ll be the guy that’s out there.”
While Mahomes did not play in the preseason, he was an active participant in training camp and did not spend any time on the physically unable to perform list — despite suffering a torn ACL in December.
“Yeah, I mean, he’s shown everything there. He hasn’t missed a day, as you know,” Reid said. “You guys have seen him out there, so you know what it looks like, him running around and doing his stuff. Other than having a brace on his leg, everything looks normal. He’s running around the same way he’s always done and throwing the ball like he’s always done.
“So, I think we’ll be fine there.”
Mahomes, however, is unlikely to have his starting left tackle on the field with him in the Week 1 matchup against the Broncos. Josh Simmons is dealing with a back injury that has sidelined him.
“There’s a good chance Josh doesn’t play this week,” Reid said. “That’s where we’re at. So, we have that in our mind and I mean, he has an issue there that he’s working through. I’m not putting any time restraint on when he could come back, or when he could practice or how many practices he needs, and all that. I just want to make sure he’s healthy and OK to go. But other than that, we move forward.”
Kahlil Benson — an undrafted rookie out of Indiana — is in line to start at left tackle if Simmons is unable to play.
Veteran safety Taylor Rapp is heading back to Denver.
Rapp signed with the Broncos last month, but left the team to attend to personal matters. Head coach Sean Payton said at the time that there was a strong chance Rapp would return to the organization and Rapp worked out last week with an eye on coming back to action.
According to multiple reports, his return will come via the practice squad. Rapp can resume working out with the team right away and will be eligible to be elevated to the active roster for games.
Rapp played in 36 games for the Bills over the last three seasons and he made 57 appearances for the Rams over his first four years in the NFL. He has 488 tackles, 12 interceptions, two sacks, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries for his career.
When safety Taylor Rapp was released by the Broncos in August, the team left the door open for a return.
Head coach Sean Payton said that Rapp told the team needed “a little time at home” shortly after signing and that there was “a better than good chance” that he would return to the Broncos at a later date. That date may not be too far into the future.
The NFL’s transaction report for Friday shows that Rapp worked out for the team. Any return would likely begin via the practice squad, which would give Rapp a chance to work with the team and potentially be activated on gameday.
Rapp appeared in six games for the Bills last season and has made 57 career appearances for the Bills and the Rams.
Throughout the offseason program and training camp, all indications have been that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes would be ready to play Week 1 against the Broncos — despite suffering a torn ACL in December.
While Kansas City has not made an official announcement that Mahomes will be behind center, Denver head coach Sean Payton is treating that as a given this week.
“I’m going to probably say the same for Bo [Nix] — you’ve seen enough things where he’s going to be 100 percent and we’re preparing for him at his best,” Payton said in his Wednesday press conference, via transcript from the team. “We know how talented he is, and I’m sure he’s attacked the rehab the way Bo has with completely different injuries. That’s kind of our approach to it.”
Mahomes has historically fared quite well against the Broncos, with the Chiefs going 13-2 against them in his 15 starts. But Denver has also played him tough, as the quarterback has thrown for 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in those matchups. That’s a significant contrast to his numbers against the division-rival Raiders (36 TDs, five INTs) and Chargers (28 TDs, eight INTs).
The Broncos and Chiefs will cap Week 1 with Monday Night Football from Arrowhead Stadium.
