The Broncos, backed by the richest ownership group in the NFL, enter their Week 12 bye with the best record in the league, as the franchise’s transformation continues on and off the field.
Sunday’s victory over the Chiefs, who have won the AFC West nine seasons in a row, was Denver’s eighth win in a row this season, catapulting the team to a 9–2 record, tied with the Patriots atop the NFL’s standings. The Broncos are three games clear of Kansas City in the division, and two up on the Chargers.
Denver is 27–19, including last season’s wild-card playoff loss to the Bills, since paying up big-time for Sean Payton ahead of the 2023 season. Payton, one of the NFL’s highest-paid coaches with an estimated $18 million salary, was the first big move by the Walton-Penner ownership group, which bought the Broncos for $4.65 billion in 2022, at the time representing a record sale price for an NFL team.
With a net worth well north of $100 billion, the Walton-Penner family is believed to be at least five times richer than the NFL’s second-wealthiest majority owner, Panthers owner David Tepper. Led by CEO Greg Penner, the son-in-law of Walmart heir and fellow co-owner Rob Walton, the Broncos have been investing in the franchise in multiple facets.
Most notably, the Broncos in September announced plans to build a privately financed, multibillion-dollar retractable roof stadium in downtown Denver, with a targeted completion date of 2031.
A new stadium would complement a new $175 million training facility, also privately financed, that is under construction and on pace to open ahead of the 2026 season.
In the meantime, the Broncos have set a new standard for field conditions in the NFL. Sunday’s home game against the Chiefs was played on a brand-new field, marking the fourth consecutive year the Broncos have replaced the natural grass surface at Empower Field at Mile High midseason.
On the field, Denver is led by second-year quarterback Bo Nix, who has a salary-cap hit of just $4.23 million this season. Nix is ninth in the NFL with 2,421 passing yards and eighth in the league with 18 touchdown passes.
