After voters rejected a ballot measure to approve public funding for renovations to Arrowhead Stadium, many believe the Chiefs could leverage a potential relocation to push the city to get the appropriate funding for the renovations.
Dallas mayor Eric Johnson sees what’s happening and has is now making a push for the Chiefs to move to his city.
In a statement to Everton Bailey Jr. of the Dallas Morning News, Johnson said he believes Dallas is “big enough, growing enough” to support a second NFL franchise in the market:
“Dallas was named the top sports city in the United States because we play to win. As I have said previously, our market is big enough, growing enough, and loves football more than enough to support a second NFL team—especially a franchise (and an owner) with deep roots here.”
The Chiefs and Royals have been seeking public funding for stadium renovations. The Chiefs want to renovate Arrowhead Stadium, while the Royals want to build a new ball park to replace Kauffman Stadium.
Jackson County residents voted 58-42 on Tuesday night to reject a measure for public funding.
Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt unveiled a plan in February for an $800 million renovation project at Arrowhead Stadium that would begin after the 2026 World Cup and take four years to complete.
Currently, the NFL has two cities with multiple NFL teams — Los Angeles (Rams, Chargers) and New York (Jets, Giants)/
If the Chiefs were to consider relocating, which seems like a long shot, they would have to pay a fee to other NFL teams for moving. The Rams and Chargers are paying a total of $645 million.
The Dallas market has never had two NFL teams playing at the same time. The Texans only plays don season in the league in 1952 before the franchise went bankrupt. The Cowboys played their first season in 1960.
The Chiefs have familiarity with the Dallas-area, Lamar Hunt, Clark Hunt’s father, founded the Dallas Texans in 1959 as one of the original teams in the American Football League. They shared the Cotton Bowl with the Cowboys for three seasons.
The Texans relocated to Kansas City and rebranded as the Chiefs in 1963. They won three AFL titles and defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV in the final game before the AFL-NFL merged into one single league.
It’s going to be an interesting few months in Kansas City as the organization is weighing it’s next options.
