If true, the NFL's finance committee would have to complete a background check on Fowler and his New Jersey partners to determine whether they, especially Fowler, are adequately capitalized. The NFL owners would then vote whether to approve the sale. The next owners meeting is March 20-23 in Hawaii.

The Pioneer Press reported last week that Fowler's group registered itself this month as Minnesota Vikings Football, a licensed liability company, in Delaware, where many national companies are incorporated.

If a sale to Fowler's group turns out to be legitimate, the price could reach $635 million. McCombs paid $246 million for the Vikings in 1998.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has said he is willing to spend $600 million for the Vikings.

• People close to the situation say the pursuit of the Vikings by Fowler and Taylor could turn ugly before it is decided who ends up with the team.

• Before McCombs purchased the Vikings, an agreement was announced that novelist Tom Clancy of Maryland had bought the team from 10 Minnesota partners. That deal fell apart when it was learned that Clancy, because of divorce proceedings, didn't have the required finances and the NFL wouldn't approve the deal.

Twenty-four of the 32 NFL owners would have to approve a Vikings sale to Fowler or Taylor.

• The Arizona Republic newspaper estimates Fowler's net worth is more than $400 million. It is unclear how much debt he has on his assorted business holdings.

There is skepticism whether a net worth of even $500 million is enough to become a general partner of an NFL team. People in the know say a net worth of $1 billion would be necessary.

Whether the NFL would approve a sale to Fowler is questionable. A general partner, which Fowler would be, would need enough liquidity to withstand capital losses and to be able to use available capital in case some partners eventually wanted out of the deal.

• Some people speculate that Fowler's trio of New Jersey real estate partners are so well-heeled that the group might not need public funding for a new stadium on 700 acres in Blaine and instead would try to develop the area on their own.

However, other NFL owners might frown on such an idea because it could set an awkward precedent for stadium building. Because Taylor would want public approval for a stadium, NFL owners might favor a bid for the Vikings by him, among other reasons because it might be in their best interests.

• If the Vikings franchise, which is considered among the least valuable in the NFL because of its Metrodome lease, were to sell for more than $600 million, the value of some other franchises could approach $1 billion within a few years.

• If Fowler's bid is accepted by McCombs and subsequently rejected, there could be a rebidding process for the team, the same as when Clancy's deal fell through.