The Los Angeles Angels, mind you, cost Uncle Stan quite a bit more than three bucks during BP.

It took a few decades, but a man named for two Major League Baseball players is about to join the ranks of MLB ownership. Enos (as in Enos Slaughter) Stanley (as in Stan Musial) Kroenke, according to reports, has reached an agreement to buy the Halos from previous owner Arte Moreno, effective in early 2027.

Assuming the deal goes through, that puts Stan a leg up at the next family BBQ on the baseball front, at least. The Penner Sports Group — which is overseen by Walton-Penner and her husband Greg and, like Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, is part of the Walmart financial empire — has owned the Broncos since August 2022 and purchased a 40% stake in the Rockies this past April. Penner said last month that they had no plans to extend that investment, and that control of the flailing baseball franchise will remain with the club’s majority owners, the Monfort family.

Yeah, that last one didn’t sit well with the baseball sickos on the Grading The Week staff, either. Especially after longtime season-ticket holders we know texted us to grouse about receiving notice from the club of a 14% price hike for next season, all while a potentially nuclear work stoppage looms in early 2027.

The Monforts are the Dodgers of leveraging real estate and selling alcohol. Unfortunately, the Rox also play in the same division as the real Dodgers and are therefore trying to avoid becoming the first MLB club since the Mets in 1965 to string together four straight seasons with 100 or more losses.

Kroenke buys Angels, Rox still stink — D

In a perfect world, KSE would’ve bought the Rockies from the Monforts ages ago. The games would fill up those dry summer months of programming on Altitude TV and spice up the evening hours on Altitude Sports Radio. Nikola Jokic would be rocking the owner’s box at Coors Field, a world-class player at a world-class venue,

While KSE’s stewardship of the Nuggets and Avs has at times been mercurial, it’s also been fairly successful from a standings perspective. And given the concurrent sagas of Peyton Watson, whom the Nuggets just traded to Cleveland rather than extend; and Cale Makar, who just landed the largest contract in NHL history, it’ll be fascinating to see how KSE handles payroll in a non-salary-capped sport. (Well, non-capped for now, boys and girls.)

Uncle Stan had reportedly bid for the Dodgers before, and like 99.99% of big-time North American sports franchise purchases, this one feels more like a land grab on Kroenke’s part than some burning desire to become the next Gene Autry. KSE’s SoFi Stadium, home to the Rams and landlords to the Chargers, is the centerpiece of the Hollywood Park entertainment district in Inglewood, Calif.

Magic Johnson, a minority owner of the Dodgers, welcomed Stan into the MLB ownership club via X.com, then thanked him for letting the NBA icon “rent their beautiful yacht named Aquila for 7 years!”

Those Walmart braggin’ rights are in Stan’s court, given that KSE’s got a tentacle in every major North American sports circuit, with the MLB arm (Angels) joining the NFL (Rams), NBA (Nuggets), NHL (Avalanche), and MLS (Rapids).

And given the global reach of the Arsenal brand, only the oceans cover more of planet Earth than the Kroenkes do at the moment.

On the baseball side, wish Stan luck. The Angels are — were? — one of the few MLB ownership situations that might have a more contentious vibe with its fan base than the Rockies do with Denverites. The Halos are on their sixth manager in eight years. The Angels even had their very own Kris Bryant situation in third baseman Anthony Rendon. The former All-Star landed a seven-year, $246-million contract with the Halos after helping Washington win a World Series in 2019 — then promptly fell apart. The infielder, now 36 years old, has spent this season away from the club, yet hasn’t formally retired.

Rendon’s agent? Scott Boras. Yep — the same guy who represents KB23. Small world, isn’t it? If nothing else, the GTW sickos are looking forward to watching Mike Trout run around in a Jokic jersey or a Nathan MacKinnon sweater soon.

As if the Broncos needed any reminder of how close they came last year, the NFL season kicks off Wednesday night with a Super Bowl rematch between New England and Seattle. Then, San Francisco and the Los Angeles Rams square off in Australia on Thursday night.

Denver plays all four of those teams this season and three of them by Week 6, but the Broncos have a long wait until Monday night, Sept. 14, before finally kicking off at Kansas City.

Tuesday marks six weeks since Broncos veterans reported for training camp. In that time, we’ve learned quite a bit about Sean Payton’s team. There also remain a handful of outstanding questions as prep for the Chiefs is set to kick into gear Monday and then really ramp up midweek.

Let����ap set the table as we head into the final week of the year without games that count on the menu.

What we’ve learned

Bo Nix has passed every test so far and looks primed for Week 1

When camp began in late July, Nix hadn’t opened up and ran in a practice setting since before he broke his ankle in January and had a follow-up procedure in April. It didn’t take long, though, for the third-year quarterback to show he felt good. Nix took every rep in training camp and he ran and cut hard off the right ankle. He showed no signs of any kind of rehab plan or workload moderation, outside of Payton mentioning that he likely still had scar tissue. The staff held him out of the preseason opener, but otherwise it����ap been full throttle for Nix heading into Week 1. And his teammates say he “is playing out of his mind.” The physically taxing part for all players is just beginning, but the summer has gone as well as it could have so far for Nix and the Broncos.

This should be the best collection of skill talent the Broncos have had in years

Camp featured glimpses of Denver’s offensive potential in 2026, but the whole No. 1 group has only played together in practice so far. Running back J.K. Dobbins didn’t play a preseason game snap and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle played six.

When this group hits the field for the first time against the Chiefs, though, it should be the most dangerous since Peyton Manning retired. Waddle’s arrival and Pat Bryant����ap ascension will certainly impact — and maybe transform — the wide receiver room. Payton and company have invested in the running back room and it finally appears to be in a good spot with Dobbins, RJ Harvey and rookie Jonah Coleman. The tight end room didn’t change much, but Evan Engram sees growth for himself, and the group could see residual benefit from the uptick in skill at the other positions. Bottom line: Nix and new play-caller Davis Webb have a lot to work with at their disposal.

The questions on defense are not where we thought they’d be when camp opened

The Broncos appear poised to cover the free-agency departure of John Franklin-Myers with players on the rise. Eyioma Uwazurike had one of the most impressive camps on the roster, Malcolm Roach continues to improve each year, and they pair with Zach Allen and D.J. Jones to make a high-quality top four. They’ll need Jordan Jackson to handle some snaps and rookie Tyler Onyedim to progress over the season, but this group looks ready to hit the ground running. When JFM got $21 million a year, it would have been a bit strange to think that safety P.J. Locke and inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw would be the departures that left more lingering questions, but that����ap how it feels heading into Week 1.

Questions remaining

Will anybody get a contract extension before the opener?

Each of the past two seasons, the Broncos have inked a major contract extension with a defensive stalwart during Week 1 preparations. In 2024, it was cornerback Pat Surtain II. Last year, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto.

The Broncos don’t have the kind of obvious to-do list they did last year when Courtland Sutton and Zach Allen both also got extensions during camp, but they do have a big group of key players entering contract seasons. These things can change fast, but it����ap been quiet on the contract front so far. There’s been no solid indication that an extension is on the immediate horizon for Ja’Quan McMillian, Riley Moss, Uwazurike, Bandon Jones, Marvin Mims Jr., Ben Powers or anybody else. Deadlines spur actions, of course, and Payton has expressed interest in having multiple players on that list around long-term, but nothing has materialized.

Payton and owner Greg Penner have downplayed the impact that Nix’s impending extension eligibility, which begins next offseason, has on Denver’s contract decision-making from here forward. It����ap also true that the Broncos have spent a ton to lock up their core over the past two years. Still, if nothing comes over the next 10 days, Denver will enter the season looking like a team that could well be entering its last season with such extensive continuity.

When will Jonathon Cooper’s criminal case be resolved?

When veterans reported on July 29, Payton said the Broncos stood firmly behind Cooper and that he thought resolution could come “sooner than later.” Six weeks later, Cooper’s been arraigned on felony assault for strangulation and other lesser charges stemming from a pair of domestic violence-related arrests in June. He is not on the Broncos’ 53-man roster and is instead on the commissioner’s exempt list, which is essentially paid leave. His trial date is slated for mid-November, after nine Broncos regular-season games. The league could conclude its review of Cooper’s case for potential violations of its personal conduct policy before a trial starts, but neither the league office nor the 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office appears to have much incentive to rush to a conclusion. Cooper’s in line to miss the opening portion of the season, but beyond that, there’s still uncertainty about what resolution looks like and if and when Denver’s starting outside linebacker might be back on the field.

How will Payton handle his new game-day role when they actually count?

The biggest outstanding question for the Broncos, really, is how Davis Webb will fare as a first-time play-caller. Particularly against a run of top-flight opponents out of the gate. Players and coaches are confident. So, too, is Webb. The interesting undercard is how Payton himself handles game days. He swears he’s not going to be like his mentor, Bill Parcells, who he said sighed or questioned many of his calls as games unfolded. He’s adamant this is going to work swimmingly and he won’t be tempted to take play-calling duties back. He’ll have “some suggestions, some mandates,” he said with a smile. New-look Gameday Sean in the preseason is one thing. How it looks in the regular season will be fascinating. There will undoubtedly be plenty of camera shots along the way to help tell the story.

It����ap actually basically a 55-man roster.

It����ap a little bulgy here, a little slim there.

It����ap uniquely constructed and Denver hopes it����ap also uniquely constituted to thrive despite a gauntlet of a regular-season schedule, a deep playoff run and, ultimately, a Super Bowl championship.

The NFL might be a young man’s game, but this roster is not for the light-on-experience. Time and again the Broncos chose sure bets, roster continuity and familiarity over the unknown of inexperience.

Only four of seven draft picks made the cut. General manager George Paton, head coach Sean Payton and their staffs will hope for smooth sailing and calm winds on the waiver wire until 11 a.m. Monday to deliver some of their younger and less experienced players to the practice squad so their development can continue there.

“This year, I think we spent more time on this roster going through a lot of different scenarios with a lot of these players that were released,” Paton said. “It����ap a puzzle. It����ap ongoing. Now we’re building the practice squad, we’re looking at the wire tonight obviously.

“So, it����ap fluid and yet, yes, this was a tough roster to make.”

For a team trying to follow a 14-3 season in 2025 that ended in AFC title game heartbreak on their own field, the 53-man roster is about trying to win Sept. 14 in Kansas City and the weeks beyond.

At position after position, the final spots came down to specific roles rather than youth or upside.

Tyler Badie over Jaleel McLaughlin? Look no further than pass protection and Badie’s history of being a trusted part of Denver’s punt protection unit.

Lil’Jordan Humphrey over the fleet of undrafted receivers in camp? Payton says all the time that Humphrey makes game-planning easy because they know exactly what he does well. He blocks at the point of attack; he’s good in the middle of the field, and he can play wherever you need.

Tycen Anderson as a fifth safety? He’s not a safety, really, but he’s a core special teams player and that earned him a spot.

Jordan Turner over Red Murdock? Turner’s played special teams in Denver already, and the Broncos are banking on getting “Mr. Irrelevant” from April’s draft through waivers.

Murdock isn’t alone in that regard. It only takes one look at Denver’s 2026 draft class to get an idea of the competition up and down the roster.

Fourth-rounder Jonah Coleman is the lone rookie who looks poised to potentially make a splash right away as a complement to fellow running backs J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey. Third-round defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim, Denver’s lone Day 2 pick, might make the rotation out of the gate, but will be behind a veteran group that will command much of the playing time. Same for fourth-round offensive lineman Kage Casey.

From there, the fifth through seventh rounds did not fare well on cutdown day. Three of the four players Denver drafted from the fifth round on — TE Justin Joly, S Miles Scott and Murdock — were waived Sunday. The Broncos hope they can get all three back to the practice squad after 11 a.m. Monday. The only rookie from that stretch to actually make the club was the one perhaps least talked about during training camp: Tight end Dallen Bently.

Likewise, none of Denver’s undrafted rookies made the active roster to start, either.

If they’re back in the building Monday afternoon, that����ap terrific. If not? “We’re going to shake their hand, we’re going to give them a hug and root for them,” Paton said.

The Broncos pulled out every stop to maximize the numbers they could keep. Fullback Adam Prentice and long snapper Mitch Fraboni are not on the 53, but as vested veterans, they have already agreed to start on the practice squad, so they’ll contribute as game-day elevations from the jump. Denver also used its two short-term injured reserve placements allowed Sunday on OL Frank Crum and TE Caleb Lohner.

So, there’s a 53-man roster expanded by four, basically.

“Remember it����ap the right 53 and getting the proper evaluation,” Payton said after Friday’s preseason finale against Minnesota. “I will spend more time concerned with who’s making it as opposed to the ones that maybe possibly aren’t. And I just finished saying this in the locker room: Oftentimes in those tough meetings the next two days, within a month, within two months, all of a sudden, a player will be back in your building. That happens.”

Nearly all of the players who know they’ll be back with the Broncos as of Sunday night have been here before. Literally.

Overall, there are only seven players on the initial roster who have not played at least three  games for the Broncos: Star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, QB Sam Ehlinger, Anderson and the four rookie draft picks who made the cut.

Continuity has been a theme. Payton says this team is still young, but really it has some young players amidst a group now steeped in experience, expectation and the Payton Way.

This is a team built for now. It����ap not all-in the way some of Payton’s late New Orleans teams were: Recklessly and without regard for salary cap consequences.

It����ap all in the way Payton, Paton and CEO Greg Penner want to be: With a recognition that the future is a reality but primarily a sense of urgency right now.

A key City Council member this week said she doesn’t support one of the remaining steps officials had hoped to take to finalize the deal for a new Denver Broncos stadium at Burnham Yard.

Councilwoman Jamie Torres, whose district encompasses both Burnham Yard and the Broncos’ current home at Empower Field at Mile High, told The Denver Post on Thursday that she had concerns about where Denver Water may relocate part of its operations as the team takes over most of the utility’s land at Burnham Yard.

Her views as the representative of both neighborhoods will carry significant weight on the 13-member council, which would have to vote to approve the deal.

“I don’t see a future for Lot M with the Denver Water use,” Torres said. “We are trying to figure out what alternatives exist.”

Lot M, a 5-acre parking lot in Sun Valley near Empower Field, has been pitched as a potential site for relocating Denver Water’s emergency response facility. The building needs a new home because it����ap currently located in the footprint of the proposed new stadium site at Burnham Yard.

If the city, Denver Water and the Broncos can’t reach an agreement on where the building should go, it could cause ripples throughout the rest of the complicated deal.

The Broncos announced Burnham Yard as the team’s “preferred site” for a new stadium last September. The team is aiming to open the new facility by 2031, which would require construction to start next spring.

Team owner Greg Penner this week said that the timeline is “not going to be easy” with all the work that still needs to be done. Denver Water’s relocation is one of the factors adding to that difficulty.

Denver Water, which provides water to 1.5 million people in the metro area, agreed last year to move its operations from Burnham Yard so that the Broncos can relocate, so long as its ratepayers aren’t stuck footing the bill. Most of the utility’s campus will move to a property in Denver’s Elyria-Swansea neighborhood, but the emergency facility must be centrally located to quickly respond to water line breaks and other urgent issues.

Lot M currently provides supplemental parking for season ticket holders at Empower Field. Neighbors of the site have pushed for years for the city and state to convert the area surrounding the lot into a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood without industrial facilities. Community members have fought hard against Denver Water’s plans there, calling the proposal a “significant step backward” in a letter to city officials.

Torres said that without the community’s support — or at least acceptance of the plan — the idea would have a tough time getting through the City Council process.

“It was such a strong reaction against it and it never really eased up with more information,” she said. “For me, that signals it isn’t really a workable solution.”

Denver Water CEO Alan Salazar is still holding out hope that the utility can use Lot M while mitigating the community’s concerns, he said during a Wednesday meeting of Denver Water’s Board of Commissioners.

“I still think… Lot M is the path of least resistance,” he said.

He added in a written statement: “Denver Water has leaned into supporting the relocation of a new Broncos stadium because we recognize the positive impact a new stadium could have for Denver. At the same time, the relocation and replication of our critical facilities is also important to the community.”

Alternatively, the city could donate a different public parcel for the site, or the team could purchase another plot of land for Denver Water.

“Lot M is just one piece of the puzzle and we are exploring multiple options in partnership with the community, Denver Water and the Broncos,” said Jon Ewing, a spokesman for the mayor’s office.

A Broncos representative declined to answer a question about whether the team would be willing to pay for the plot of land Denver Water needs.

“We understand the integral role Denver Water plays in serving our community and remain committed to supporting its relocation efforts and ongoing operations,” team spokesman Patrick Smyth said.

The Broncos have taken several steps recently to advance the team’s plans for Burnham Yard, including finalizing deals to purchase land from SRM Concrete and the Colorado Department of Transportation.

The sea of orange splashed across the seats, home or away, speaks to the bond between rabid supporters and the team.

But mention the possibility of PSLs becoming part of the proposed privately-funded, retractable-roof stadium at Burnham Yard and eyes narrow, and expletives fly.

It is another example of The Man sticking it to the average fan.

Having to pay a one-time fee for the right to pay for season tickets? As a financial mechanism, it is a crowbar slammed across the shins.

Emotionally, I feel for the fan who gets priced out. But economically, I am on the Broncos’ side.

Even though president Damani Leech admitted that using PSLs was likely, co-owners Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner have not made a final decision.

“Really, it����ap the furthest thing from our minds right now. It����ap still a preferred site, but it����ap not finalized that we’re going to be in that location. Obviously, that����ap where we really want to be. So really, we haven’t even gotten to PSLs yet,” Greg Penner said Tuesday. “Our season ticket holders are vital to our organization and we’re going to keep them informed every step of the way once we get there.”

Because PSLs — personal seat licenses — have left some loyal sports fans SOL around the country, they have taken on a boogeyman quality.

At the risk of spamming my own email, I counter with simple math and fairness.

I would rather people who use the facility take on the burden of additional costs than taxpayers.

Not long after former Hall of Fame owner Pat Bowlen suggested the Broncos could move to Los Angeles nearly three decades ago, voters approved a sales tax that funded 75% of the cost of the current stadium, capped at $270 million.

How many of those taxpayers have attended a Broncos game?

The team has 22,000 season ticket accounts with a 99.5% renewal rate and 100,000 people on a waiting list. Based on supply and demand, owning a season ticket is a privilege. There will be those who die waiting for the opportunity to purchase.

Could new well-heeled folks change the fabric of the crowd from blue-collar screamers to cheese nibblers and wine sippers? Sure.

However, that transformation, if we are being honest, began with the construction of the current stadium. It has never been as loud as old Mile High.

Would it stink for a lifelong season ticket holder to get priced out? Yes.

Is that worse than never getting a chance to buy season tickets? Or paying taxes for a place you will never step foot in? Nope.

“You are not going to hear a lot of complaints from economists who view this through the public policy lens. They will have no problem with taxes on tickets for the users,” said Geoffrey Propheter, an associate professor of public affairs at CU-Denver. “But yes, it can be a shock to some, particularly if you have the perspective that they are part of the community. How can you do it to them?”

Because the Broncos ownership group is the richest in the NFL, there are those who view PSLs as unnecessary, if not a full-on betrayal.

But last time I checked, owning a team and building a stadium is a business.

Could this ownership group, given its personal net worth, privately fund the stadium and not use PSLs? In theory, yes. But in practical terms, PSLs have become equity and a way to recoup or raise capital for projects of this magnitude.

I would rather the owners tack on the equivalent of a resort fee to season ticket holders than ask for public money.

The last stadium built without taxpayer dollars or PSLs was in 2002 in New England. In the last 20 years, only the construction of Lucas Oil Stadium and State Farm Stadium did not use PSLs when first built, though the majority of the costs were subsidized by the public.

For those who say the Broncos should be different, should be like the Patriots, consider that Gillette cost $325 million. Per The Los Angeles Times, the SoFi Stadium price tag was $5.5 billion in 2020.

Given the rising construction costs, it is highly unlikely the Burnham Yard palace will come in under $3 billion, and that is only if it stays on track for a 2031 opening.

Let’s say the Penners use PSLs.

Haven’t they earned the benefit of the doubt that they will do it in a reasonable way?

In the four years since they purchased the team for $4.65 billion, they have made a larger impact than Patrick Surtain II or Bo Nix. They hired Sean Payton, kept George Paton, signed core players to nearly a half billion in contract extensions, poured in $100 million to the current stadium, financed a $175 million state-of-the-art team headquarters and are on pace to give $10 million to the community this year.

They brought one of the league’s flagship franchises back to life. The playoff drought ended. The streak without an AFC West title and postseason win is in the past.

Greg Penner said he expects Super Bowl titles. As in plural.

And the owners have committed to this goal by investing in everything from injury research to improving recovery to nutrition to give the Broncos the best chance to win.

The owners have prioritized the fans’ feedback since taking over, running surveys to improve the gameday experience and gauge reactions to things like PSLs.

It will be painful for some season ticket holders. But it will not be a blindside hit.

Looking at how the owners have gone about their business, save for their support of Jonathon Cooper, there is reason to believe the PSL program will have elasticity.

If someone purchases season tickets for several years, perhaps the Broncos could return part of the money the fan paid for the PSL. The PSL program could also offer a program to upgrade seats and provide steep discounts on concessions and merchandise and priority access to other events at the stadium.

If the team remains a contender, more likely with this ownership group, it also creates a path for the season ticket holder to sell a PSL for profit.

PSLs on the secondary market can cost as little as $75 dollars for the Browns to as much as $450,000 for the 49ers, according to pslsource.com.

There are going to be those who get squeezed out. I am not naive to this. I don’t like it.

But I would rather have a few thousand upset season-ticket holders than a few hundred thousand furious taxpayers.

True story: Sunshine Sean Payton sanctioned an actual team movie night during the dog days of training camp. The Broncos loaded up the buses last Thursday and took the guys to see

“I was happy but surprised at the same time,” pass-rushing ace Nik Bonitto, an early victim of 2026’s injury bug, said Tuesday after practice. “Sean, he never did (anything) like that (before). So he’s starting to take a liking to us, for sure.”

Our Sean? Liking?

I mean, that’s next? Orange slices? Juice boxes? Participation trophies?

“Well, I was consulted,” Payton offered Tuesday when I brought it up. “The whole team went. Yeah, it was just an evening event that was over and back, and our players all went. Yeah, all good.

What a shock.

“Would you have done a night like that four or five years ago?” I asked. “Would you have been cool with that?”

To this, Payton pondered.

“Yeah, I mentioned it this weekend to a few former players (in Canton for Hall-of-Fame Weekend), and they accused me of getting soft,” Payton cracked.

“It’s not like we changed a practice or anything. We just had a diversion, if you will. So it was good. The experience was good.”

Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit puts the “art” in “state-of-the-art,” kids — 320,000 square feet of first-class football bliss. The couches are so comfy, CEO Greg Penner caught a player sleeping on one of them. There’s a golf simulator on the third floor, for pity’s sake.

Is it OK to wonder about the effect that a palatial new team headquarters will have on the Broncos’ collective hindquarters?

“I was wondering if you kept in mind that maybe this would be a little too comfortable for them,” a scribe had asked Penner Tuesday, “in regards to performance …”

“I think you’ve met our head coach,” the Broncos boss quipped.

What? Him?

“I don’t (worry),” Penner continued. “Everything we can do to support the players in this building, out on the field, they’re going to work their tails off. So I’m not worried about that (they’re) not working hard enough. I don’t think that would be an issue.”

To recap, though: The Broncos are coming off a stretch late last week that started with a group movie night on Thursday; followed by their coach leaving town after stretching on Friday; capped off by an interim coach/substitute teacher (Vance Joseph) running practices Friday and Saturday; and an off-day Sunday.

“Yeah, got done with practice, did some meetings, all got on the buses and went to the Spider-Man movie,” guard Quinn Meinerz recalled.

“So how was it?” I wondered.

“Well, unfortunately, the previous weekend, I saw ‘The Odyssey,'” Meinerz replied. “So, seeing this movie, it was like, you know, a traditional ‘Marvel movie,’ where this happens, and that happens, and then the build-up and then the feel-good at the end.”

“And the teaser after the credits?”

“Oh, yeah. And if you’re looking for that type of a movie, the Marvel feel-good (experience), it’s a rollercoaster (where) you know what’s going to happen. It’s a good movie.”

It was a good weekend, man. Best weekend ever!

Followed by a Monday from Hell, Meinerz told me.

And a Tuesday from Holy Heck.

“No, no. He has definitely not softened,” the Broncos’ Pro Bowl blocker said, assuring me that this whole ‘kinder, gentler Sean Payton’ thing was a myth on par with jackalopes and abominable snowmen.

“We’re practicing what, five out of six days in pads?”

“And two-and-a-half hours,” I said. “Back-to-back.”

“And using all the minutes and doing gassers and blah, blah, blah,” Meinerz countered. “So, no. It’s definitely not softer.”

Is he soft?

“Well, there’s only so much you can do now (with players), right?” Meinerz said. “Because compared to them, (compared to) my own (position) coach, Zach Streif, who played for Sean, you would do two two-and-a-half-hour, full-padded practices in a day. We’re a little bit more protected as players, where the coaches just can’t go rogue and get after us.

“Sean hasn’t gone soft. No, I wouldn’t say that at all.”

Broncos owners Greg Penner and Carrie Walton-Penner are more than just peers with Monfort these days. They’re also business partners after Penner Sports Group purchased a 40% stake in the Rockies in April in a deal that was estimated to be around $670 million.

Penner, speaking to reporters Tuesday for the first time since purchasing the stake in Colorado’s Major League Baseball team, said he got to know Monfort, 72, over breakfasts they get together for 2-3 times per year.

“Carrie and I have had a chance to get to know the Monforts in the 4-5 years we’ve been here,” Penner said. … “They were ready to bring on a partner and we couldn’t be more excited about doing something here in the Denver market. We’ve grown up baseball fans as well and, as you know, it����ap a terrific fanbase, ballpark and we’re really pleased to join the ownership group there.”

At the time of the purchase, the Penners made it clear they would play a support role and take no active part in the daily operations of the baseball franchise. The lingering question, of course, is whether Monfort might one day decide to give up his controlling interest in the team. If he did, the Penners now sit in a position as 40% shareholders to potentially assume control.

Penner didn’t say specifically Tuesday when asked directly if his company had an option to take a controlling stake in the Rockies at some point in the future.

“Right now we’re just focused on being supportive minority partners,” Penner said. “The Monforts are in full control and we’re going to do what we can to support them.”

Penner, speaking with reporters during a Broncos training camp practice, said he agreed with an analogy made in a Denver Post story this summer that the myriad processes, tentacles and complexities of trying to build a stadium and surrounding mixed-use district at the now-defunct former rail yard are akin to building a Rube Goldberg machine.

“I think that����ap a good analogy and I think everybody involved in the process has the intent to do the right thing and is trying to do the right thing,” Penner said. “But it����ap a lot of moving pieces and it����ap complex. Our focus is squarely on the 2031 opening and trying to get that done, but it����ap not going to be easy.”

The Broncos have cleared one hurdle this week, closing a deal with SRM Concrete for nearly 10 acres worth of parcels on the northern portion of the proposed district. The club paid $55 million for the parcels, according to real estate records obtained by The Post, meaning it paid more for the wedge of land than it cost to buy the 57-acre rail yard itself ($45.8 million). Penner essentially echoed what team president Damani Leech said earlier this month: If the club has control over a process — such as stadium and district design — it is advancing efficiently. But in areas that require negotiation and collaboration with community groups and government entities, the going is much slower.

Penner, though, said the club expected this when it began zeroing in on Burnham Yard as its preferred site.

“I don’t know that it����ap been more frustrating than I thought,” Penner said Tuesday. “We went into this knowing that, if you’re going to do a project of this scale — and we knew when we started focusing on this site specifically that it was going to be more challenging. But we also really want to stay in Denver if we can and deliver a stadium in this market that is a vital part of the downtown.

“But if you’re doing a project in an area like that, it����ap just harder. So I think we went in with our eyes wide open about the challenges and we’ll keep working through it.”

The club has said in community meetings and planning documents that its target start date for construction is in the spring of 2027. That will require many steps and processes to be completed in the next approximately six to eight months. The team needs a completed community benefits agreement with the Burnham Yard Community Association, an approved small-area plan, a district master plan, environmental remediation at the yard itself, a determination from the Denver Urban Renewal Authority on whether the site qualifies for tax increment financing and more.

“It����ap still a preferred site, but it����ap not finalized we’re going to be in that location,” Penner said. “Obviously that����ap where we really want to be.”

The Broncos have said that construction of a stadium and the first phase of the district are projected to take 3.5 to 4 years. Hence Penner’s continued use of the word “aggressive” when it comes to having shovels in the ground next year to put a stadium on track to comfortably open for the 2031 season.

So far, the Broncos say they don’t have a firm deadline for when they absolutely must have a go/no-go, though to open in 2031 they’d almost have to have a high degree of confidence by early 2027.

“Obviously at some point you hit a deadline, but we haven’t set a specific date that we have to have it all lined up,” Penner said. “At some point there will be a judgment call, I’m sure, where not everything is done. But we’re not at that point yet. You don’t want to start these massive projects without most, if not all, of your ducks lined up because you’re going to end up spending a lot more money.

“So we’re going to do it right, and when we start, we’re going to do it expeditiously.”

“Do they necessarily need the money? I don’t think so,” Marilyn Venard of Littleton, a Broncos season-ticket holder for seven decades, told me Monday when I brought up the concept of personal seat licenses, or PSLs. “If they want to keep happy fans, they wouldn’t charge it.”

Marilyn is one of those orange-and-blue lifers, the spine and soul of ����apountry. She’s had seats in the north end zone at old Mile High, and now Empower Field at Mile High, since 1965. She’s watched a chain of quarterbacks that runs from Jacky Lee and Mickey Slaughter to Bo Nix.

Venard didn’t hesitate to renew her season tickets for 2026 for $3,000, including parking. boasting an estimated net worth of $146 billion, it does raise eyebrows. And blood pressures.

“Let’s put it this way: I think paying for the privilege of paying them money is something I find a little offensive,” Steve Altman told me by phone Monday. He’s held season tickets at Mile High and Empower since 1987.

“And frankly, I think with this particular ownership group, with the money they have, doesn’t really need it. To me, it just seems a gouge on the fans’ side of that.”

In basic terms, PSLs are a one-time fee to pay for the right to then purchase season tickets. In Buffalo, for example, buying a PSL to the new Highmark Stadium grants you those “rights” for a 30-year span. Those licenses can be eventually be sold if the buyer surrenders their season tickets.

Prices vary by stadium and seat location, but the average minimum price point among 18 NFL teams that offered them last September was $2.744, according to PSLSource.com, a third-party marketplace. Per-seat PSL charges last fall on the site ranged from $50 to $50,000.

“Oh, gracious,”  Venard said. “Well, it’s a lot of money. I don’t think I would pay it.

“I understand that football organizations are charging that now, but my goodness.”

“Would that stop you renewing?” I asked.

“It would certainly take some thought,” she replied.

PSLs are a way for owners to defray big costs, such as stadium construction. They’re as much a part of the NFL lexicon now as Bill Belichick, and twice as soulless.

It’s the sort of scheme would set upon the denizens of Springfield, a gratuity to billionaires from the working class, a mandatory tip collected by corporate overlords. In entertainment terms, it’s a 100-drink minimum to watch the latest slice of low comedy served up by the Las Vegas Raiduhs.

With the Walton-Penner Group planning to build a new stadium privately at Burnham Yard, it’s been presumed for years that PSLs were coming to ����apountry, just as standard NFL practice. This past Saturday at training camp, team president Damani Leech said the quiet part out loud.

“It seems like it����ap a pretty likely thing to happen,” Leech told reporters when asked about PSLs, “but we haven’t made any formal decisions on that.”

All we’d humbly ask of Carrie Walton Penner and Greg Penner as they crunch the numbers is to keep Marilyn in mind. To keep Steve in mind.

And the hundreds of thousands of Broncomaniacs who sat through Paxton Lynch, Kendall Hinton and Lord knows how many snowstorms. The faithful who pack hills and metal bleachers on a scorching August day, because by God, they’d walk through Hell in a gasoline suit to see this franchise back in the Super Bowl again.

“I would (ask), ‘What do they really need the money for?'” Altman said. “I mean, are they interested in the Broncos purely as a business matter, or are they doing this because they want the pleasure of owning an NFL team? You’re talking about some of the richest people in the world.”

Given that the Broncos boast a ticket wait-list of more than 100,000, the market’s betting that if you won’t pay a cover charge, somebody else will. While the introduction of PSLs isn’t designed to purge the voter rolls, so to speak, it can have that effect — especially with older and less well-heeled Broncos faithful.

Altman understands why his season tickets in the 300 level cost $2,800 to renew. But he worries about losing ����apountry’s most loyal, about trading the folks who celebrate a touchdown with a beer and shot with, shall we say, more of your wine-and-cheese crowd.

“‘Would they really need (the PSL money)?'” Altman wondered. “The revenue they’ll get from the seats themselves, that’s pretty much all theirs.”

It’s a fair question. The Walton-Penner Group are the richest owners in the NFL, and it’s not close.

In fact, you’d have to add up the NFL’s second-ranked through seventh-ranked owners’ net worths as of February ($126.6 million) to match or exceed the Walton-Penner Group’s clout. To put that number in more context, Rams owner Stan Kroenke, whose portfolio includes the Nuggets, Avalanche, Rapids and Mammoth, checked in at No. 4 on the NFL’s owners list tis past winter, with a reported net worth of $21.3 billion.

To them, the Broncos are a line item on a budget. To Marilyn? They’re family.

Losing her seats would meaning losing contact with old friends, losing a sense of of community. Venard went to Super Bowls with her neighbors in Section 323. To conference title games. Tailgates.

“And you do become a family,” Venard said. “At the beginning of the season, everybody hugs everybody, welcoming them back.”

Time and tide wait for no man, but she’d miss those hugs dearly. You can’t spell “unscrupulous” without “PSL.” You can’t spell “powerless,” either.

At 10:31 a.m., Cooper became obvious to onlookers as he went through stretching with 86 other teammates on the first day of an acclimation period before training camp opens to fans on Friday.

Cooper faces a felony charge of second-degree assault by strangulation and three misdemeanors for two arrests in June involving his ex-girlfriend.

The team and Cooper made the mutual decision for him to stay away from the end of mandatory minicamp last month, creating an avenue for Cooper to pursue mental health treatment for 40 days and time for Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner to gather information.

Cooper now sparks strong emotions from those who cite the legal principle of “innocent until proven guilty,” and others, including women’s rights advocates, who believe it is “irresponsible” to allow Cooper back in the building until his arraignment on Aug. 31.

Two sides with only one thing clear.

The Broncos’ owners will never look quite the same.

They have placed their reputation, impeccable until this point, at stake. There are those of us, myself included, who naively thought they would draw the line at domestic violence allegations when it comes to gainful employment.

They chose the path of least resistance, allowing the court and an NFL investigation to dictate their next step. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told The Post on Wednesday that “the matter continues to be reviewed under the personal conduct policy,” and added, “there’s no timetable.”

In the meantime, the Broncos have Cooper’s back.

“We are staying the course with the league protocol, relative to what we have been advised to do. He has been fantastic away from the building. We will continue to do that and monitor it. We are supportive and yet we are very much aware of the seriousness of these types of things,” coach Sean Payton said. “Pretty much what I said in the spring, there is a schedule and a course to this and that is what we have to follow.”

Well, actually they don’t.

The Broncos chose to portray Cooper’s situation as complex, requiring patience with limited options. But there was always a simple solution available: cut him.

There would have been an $18.2 million salary cap hit. Outrageous, until you consider they absorbed a $53 million hit in 2024 and $32 million in 2024 to release maligned quarterback Russell Wilson.

They could have wished Cooper well and moved on in the name of doing what was best for the franchise.

This is what I thought the Broncos owners were going to do based on their reaction to linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite’s arrest in March of 2025.

Did they fool us by firing him two days after he was accused of punching a police officer in the departure lane at Denver International Airport, or was I only fooling myself about their view of accountability?

Ironically, Wilhoite was welcomed back this week as well, hired as a defensive assistant. While in jeopardy of sounding hypocritical, his case was different, not rising to the level of domestic violence accusations.

There was also this: he faced consequences.

He spent 16 months away from the team, then was rehired after his case was dismissed and sealed. He still faces a civil suit from the policeman he allegedly punched in the face.

How did the Broncos go from acting swiftly with Wilhoite and requiring a lengthy absence before bringing him back to giving Cooper the benefit of the doubt?

He sought help, as Payton explained. The Broncos stayed in contact with him over the past six weeks. They believed in his progress. They believe in the person.

That is at the crux of this situation. They could not reconcile the charges with the person they know. The team captain at Ohio State. A team leader in the Broncos locker room.

Regardless, the risk in placing faith in Cooper is enormous. And for me, not worth it.

For all those who say, “everyone deserves a second chance, doesn’t he?”

Glad you asked. He already got one. He was arrested twice last month, a second time after being warned by every meaningful team official to remove himself from the situation.

As an outsider looking in, that was a complete breach of trust. He has received treatment since, and hopefully it has worked. But there is no guarantee.

The first incident would have been enough for me to sever ties. If there was any doubt, the second would have clinched it.

Sports stars frequently remind us that those living on pedestals can never be fully known.

Here is what we do know. A forensic nurse who evaluated Cooper’s former girlfriend reported to police that the woman had experienced “strangulation with hypoxia and traumatic brain injury,” according to the affidavit.

And when the responding officer asked Cooper if he grabbed his former girlfriend’s neck, the 28-year-old “nodded his head up and down, coupled with an mm-hmm,” and said he grabbed it “aggressive,” per the affidavit.

Payton said Wednesday he was aware of the nurse’s report to the police.

“When it’s finally finished, we’ll all have a better feel,” he said. “It’s unfair for me to answer any of those questions right now without having the totality of it finalized. I think that will come sooner than later.”

Teams can handle domestic violence allegations as they choose, from zero tolerance to letting the league determine whether to issue a suspension.

Going case-by-case represents the middle ground.

But how many affidavits involving a Bronco will read worse than “the patient experienced physical injury which, either at the time of the actual injury or at a later time involved… (a) substantial risk of death (and) a substantial risk of protracted loss or impairment of the function of any part or organ on the body.”

Like it or not, an organization known for doing the right thing since the Walton Penner ownership took over has established a new standard regarding player conduct.

The team leaders can say they take these incidents seriously, but our eyes tell us more than any words.

It just does not pass the everyman test. If this were any one of us, we would have been fired. Slow-playing discipline comes across as convenient for a team in a Super Bowl window, something the Kansas City Chiefs have turned into an art form.

Cutting Cooper would presume guilt. I get it. I would rather err on the side of caution.

For everything they have done, the owners have put their reputations on the line with this decision.

That was the only conclusion to draw as Cooper went through drills, laughing and smiling, the blazing sun the only unforgiving thing on Wednesday.