Jeff Bezos appears to be out of the Washington Commanders sale process, leaving 2 billionaires in race to buy the NFL team

Josh Harris leads a group that has submitted a bid for the Washington Commanders, according to The Athletic. His group includes real estate and industrial investor Mitchell Rales and former NBA player Magic Johnson, who owns stakes in several teams.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Harris group's bid is a fully-financed bid of $6 billion, which is believed to be Snyder's asking price for the Commanders.

Harris, a private equity investor and co-founder of Apollo Global Management, has a net worth of $5.9 billion, according to Forbes. He also has varying levels of ownership in the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers, NHL's New Jersey Devils, NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, and Crystal Palace Football Club in the English Premier League. Rales is based in the DC area, giving the group strong local ties.

Harris previously tried to purchase the Denver Broncos but was outbid by Walmart heir Rob Walton.

Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos, a commercial real estate and private equity investor, has also submitted an official bid for the club, according to the Washington Post. A source told WaPo that Apostolopoulos is "a legitimate contender to buy the team."

Apostolopoulos' father, Greek-Canadian real estate investor Andreas Apostolopoulos, once owned the Pontiac Silverdome.

Apostolopoulos has a reported net worth of $3.9 billion.

There are conflicting reports on whether Fertitta has officially submitted a bid, but most reports list him, at the very least, as a potential bidder. ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Adam Schefter called Fertitta one of three "known bidders," along with the Harris group and Apostolopoulos.

The Washington Post recently referred to him as a "potential buyer." An earlier report from Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala of WaPo said Fertitta had submitted a bid worth "slightly above" $5.5 billion but was not considered a favorite to buy the team.

Fertitta owns the NBA's Houston Rockets, Landry's dining, hospitality, entertainment and gaming, and the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casinos.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has long been considered a strong candidate to purchase the Commanders, but his path to potentially owning the club has been a bit of a roller coaster and now appears to be over.

According to a source for AJ Perez of Front Office Sports, "Bezos is not bidding." Perez added: "There's a feeling within Bezos' camp that he has been used to push the bidding by others in the franchise to a higher level, the source said."

In February, it was reported that Bezos had hired the same investment firm that handled the recent sales of the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos. However, according to Ben Standig and Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic, Bezos was barred from bidding for the team by Bank of America, the Commanders' bank. Bezos did not submit an offer during the first round of bidding, which is now closed.

According to the New York Post, Bezos may have been blackballed from the process because he owns the Washington Post, which wrote stories alleging toxic management and sexual harassment within the team's front office. However, Charles Gasparino of Fox Business News recently reported that Snyder was no longer opposed to a bid from Bezos.

Media mogul Byron Allen was reportedly interested in buying the Commanders early in the process. Allen previously attempted to become the first Black majority owner in the NFL by bidding on the Denver Broncos but did not win. Allen has not been named in recent reports of serious bidders.

Marc Lasry, the founder of the investment firm Avenue Capital Group, was reportedly "weighing putting together an investment group" to buy the Commanders, according to Charles Gasparino of the Fox Business Network. He has not been mentioned in other recent reports, and he recently agreed to sell his stake in the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks to Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, according to reports.

Mortgage executive Mat Ishbia, who recently purchased the Phoenix Suns and Mercury for $4 billion, said in November that he had an interest in bidding on the Commanders but has not been mentioned in recent months.

Mark Cuban was briefly reported by Gasparino to be "eyeing" the Commanders. About 20 minutes later, Gasparino said Cuban was "NOT interested."

Jay-Z was mentioned early in the process by People as a potential partner in Bezos' bid, but it is not clear if that is still the case.

People also reported that Matthew McConaughey could join the Bezos group. In November, NBC Washington reported that McConaughey was "exploring ... either leading a team or joining one" to bid on the Commanders.

A report from DC radio station 106.7 The Fan said former Duke Blue Devils basketball player Brian Davis had raised $7 billion to purchase the Commanders and submitted a bid. However, it is unclear who is backing Davis' bid, and he is not listed as a bidder by any other reports.