Chiefs have six months to decide on future of Arrowhead Stadium

In 1962, self-proclaimed tribal chief and mayor Harold Roe Bartle attracted oil tycoon Lamar Hunt to move his NFL franchise to Kansas City, Missouri. The Dallas Texans became the Kansas City Chiefs, and the franchise has resided at Arrowhead Stadium ever since.

Over sixty years later, the franchise could once again cross state lines. It would make the Chiefs the first team to relocate amid a dynastic run.

With their lease at the Truman Sports Complex set to expire following the 2030 season, both the Chiefs and Kansas City Royals were hoping for an extended lease agreement that would continue to provide the teams with public funding for their stadium upkeep.

In April, the Chiefs and Royals approached voters in Jackson County, Missouri in hopes of extending the three-eight-cent sales tax for a renovated stadium for the Chiefs and a new stadium for the Royals. They weren't convincing enough, and 58 percent of voters rejecting the extension.

Chiefs set six month deadline for Arrowhead Stadium decision

Chiefs president Mark Donovan addressed the future of the franchise when the team reported to training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri, on Friday.

The Chiefs have set a deadline of six months to decide on a plan for their future, whether that means renovating Arrowhead Stadium or packing their bags and moving across state lines to a new stadium in Kansas.

"This is a generational decision," Donovan said. "This is going to impact the future of this franchise for generations. We've got to get it right and we are going to do the due diligence. But there is a reality to the timing. You can only take so much time to get it right. And that window is starting to close."

A push from Kansas legislators could move Patrick Mahomes and Co. from Kansas City to Kansas, where lawmakers have already approved a plan that would finance up to 70 percent of the cost for new professional sports franchise stadiums.

Missouri governor Mike Parson said he expects his state to put togethet an aid plan to keep the teams on its side of the state lines, but he is nearing the end of his term and cannot run for reelection due to term limits.

"Really the deadline is how can you be up and running in a new facility or a renovated facility for January of the 2031 season," Donovan said. "You're looking at an existing structure, something we've done a lot of work on, there is a little less lead time. If you are talking about something new, it extends the lead time a year and a half. So we feel like we're in the window now to get something done in the next six months to be in a good position. That's the timeline we're working on."

If the Chiefs decide to build a new stadium, the want enough land for 20,000 parking spaces so they can continue their tailgating tradition. While it seems like the Chiefs would prefer to continue playing at Arrowhead Stadium as long as possible, they're beginning to warm up to the idea that it may not be possible.

"It's important to understand that we are playing Chiefs football home games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead (into) 2031," Donovan said. "That is our plan. What we have to have is somewhere to play our games for the '31 season. To do that, we have to back up to, when do you build? If you're renovating, how do you do it over multiple seasons while still playing there? A lot of factors go into that. We need to have options, and we need to have those options to a point of definition to make a decision."