Report: Derek Jeter looked into buying the Buffalo Bills

The Yankees great explored buying the team when they were for sale last year

Retired Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter looked into buying the Buffalo Bills last year, according to a report from the Buffalo News.

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Ralph Wilson, the founder of the Bills and the only owner in their history, died last March, and soon afterward the team was put up for sale. Famous names such as Jon Bon Jovi’s were mentioned as interested parties, but Jeter’s name was never among them at the time.

The Bills were sold to Terry Pegula, the owner of the Buffalo Sabres, in September for $1.4 billion. Pegula’s purchase was celebrated in Buffalo, as it allowed the team to remain in the area, rather than be potentially moved by a new owner.

According to the report, Pegula was not aware of Jeter’s potential interest. Despite this initial interest, the Bills ownership has not considered selling Jeter a portion of the team, nor is there any evidence that Jeter has attempted to purchase a portion of the franchise.

The former (and how weird is that to read?) Yankees shortstop is considered a surefire Hall of Famer, with more than 3,000 hits and a career .310 batting average in his 19-year career, all with New York.

While obviously we don’t have access to Jeter’s bank account information and therefore can’t speculate on whether he could have matched the winning bid for the team, according to Baseball-Reference, Jeter made more than $265 million in his career, not counting his many lucrative endorsements. That includes the 10-year, $189 million deal he signed in 2001, then the second-largest deal in baseball history. However, the reports are unclear whether he wanted to be a majority or minority investor in the team. Jeter’s local ties may have meant he was going to keep the team in Buffalo.

One can speculate that the Bills under Jeter’s ownership would become a hotbed of classy play, grit, determination, and the knowledge of how to win. Sports commentators would have gushed over them, and they would have collectively become the face of football. A minimum of five Super Bowls would have been forthcoming, so Buffalo fans might be disappointed by the news. Meanwhile, if Bon Jovi had bought the team… I don’t know, what’s the football equivalent of writing bad ’80s songs?

The Yankees great explored buying the team when they were for sale last year

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