Chiefs to Decide Future at Arrowhead Stadium by Early 2025 after deal was completed
The Kansas City Chiefs have set a six-month deadline to decide whether they will renovate GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, their iconic longtime home, or whether they will build a new NFL stadium in Kansas or elsewhere in Missouri.
If the Chiefs were to follow that deadline, that would mean we’ll have an answer in January 2025.
Chiefs president Mark Donovan spoke with the media at the Chiefs’ training camp headquarters at Missouri Western in St. Joseph, Missouri.
The Chiefs have a couple of options to work with, as legislators in Kansas approved a plan to finance up to 70% of the cost of new stadiums, in an attempt to lure the Chiefs and the MLB’s Kansas City Royals across the Kansas-Missouri border.
The Chiefs filed a joint ballot initiative with the Royals to help fund facilities by extending a sales tax. The ballot was rejected by voters in Jackson, Missouri, and the teams have agreed to move forward with separate plans.
Now, the teams are essentially letting the leaders in both Kansas and Missouri (both states comprise the Kansas City metropolitan area) come to them with their best sales pitch.
Kansas has come forward with an enticing proposition to finance up to 70% of a new stadium, while Missouri governor Mike Parson says he expects his state to present a plan to the Chiefs by the end of the year to keep the team on the Missouri side of the border.
Chiefs president Mike Donovan went on to say at the Chiefs’ training camp that this is a major decision for the franchise:
The Chiefs and Royals have both called Truman Sports Complex their home for over five decades, with Arrowhead Stadium sitting across from Kauffman Stadium. While both stadiums remain beloved by fans, they’re now seen as outdated by the higher-ups.
Royals owner John Sherman has already gone on record saying his team will not play at Kauffman beyond the 2030 season, instead eying a downtown ballpark.
It’s worth noting that the Chiefs haven’t ruled out staying at Arrowhead altogether. However, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt has long wanted to host a Super Bowl, and that would be more likely with a new stadium. A new stadium would likely include a retractable roof, so the site could host NCAA Final Four games and college football playoff games.
The political situation in Missouri is also a factor in the six-month deadline set by the Chiefs. Parson cannot run for re-election this fall due to term limits, so the team will need to wait until after the election this fall to see who they’ll be working with in Missouri.
Whatever the Chiefs decide to do, they’d still be playing at Arrowhead for the next several years. Donovan said within the next six months, we’ll know whether we’re talking about renovation, or a new stadium altogether.
