Drew Brees and one of his powerful buddies are reportedly making a serious run at buying the Padres.
The former NFL quarterback and Vuori founder Joe Kudla entered into a partnership and have submitted a bid to purchase San Diego’s MLB franchise, The Athletic reported on Thursday.
The duo is one of five groups aiming to snatch up the organization, the outlet reported, with Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob and billionaire businessman José E. Feliciano also in the hunt to score the winning bid.
The Padres went up for sale late in 2025, some two years after the death of former team chairman Peter Seidler, who was part of a group that bought the baseball org. in 2012 for just less than $1 billion.
It’s widely expected the club will ultimately sell for between $2-$3 billion.
Steve Cohen currently owns the record for an MLB team sale, setting the mark in 2020 when he bought the Mets for $2.42 billion.
Brees and Kudla have major ties to the San Diego area. The former signal-caller began his professional football career with the Chargers in 2001.
Kudla, meanwhile, is a University of San Diego alum whose Vuori company is based out of Carslbad, Calif.
The two have been pals for a while — with Kudla actually calling Brees his “coolest workout buddy” in a 2025 interview with Men’s Health.
“Drew Brees has become a friend of mine,” Kudla said. “The guy is full of optimism and motivation. I have gotten the chance to go to a Saints game with him in New Orleans, and the way that the fans love him was just unreal.”
It’s unclear when the Padres’ sale will officially go through, though The Athletic reported the deadline for the initial round of offers was this week.
