Chiefs’ Stadium Situation Back in Spotlight After NFL Announcements

“There’ve been so many days,” Donovan said Aug. 24, “when you walk out of meetings saying, 'We're good, this is the path we're going. And then the next day, it's like, ‘Yeah, except for this, this and this we have to get done.’ Then you go back to the other side and say, ‘OK, can we do this?' There's a lot of starts and stops.”

The process might’ve gotten a rear-end nudge this week when two NFL teams announced firm plans with regard to their future homes, including AFC West rival Denver.

Denver moving full-steam ahead

On Tuesday, the Broncos announced a preferred site to build a privately funded retractable-roof stadium in an abandoned rail yard near downtown. Plans call for a mixed-use district, similar to the Chiefs’ vision for the domed stadium they’re contemplating in Wyandotte County, Kansas.

The new Denver stadium is targeted to open in 2031. That’s the same year the Chiefs’ lease expires at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Chicago settles on site

The Chicago Bears also are targeting 2031 as the year they christen their new home. In an open letter to fans on Monday, before Chicago’s season-opening loss to the Vikings, president Kevin Warren said the team has finalized an Arlington Heights, Ill., location.

“We are at a pivotal juncture of the Chicago Bears franchise to build a new stadium,” Warren wrote, “our future home in Arlington Heights, which will require zero state money for construction. This is the year to finalize our stadium plans so we can officially bid to host a Super Bowl as soon as 2031.”

Hosting Super Bowls is a significant impetus, too. The Broncos also mentioned that possibility in unveiling their stadium plans this week. Kansas City would figure to be in that rotation as well, should the Chiefs move to Kansas and play underneath a roof.

The Chicago move also is significant because the Bears have spent most of their history playing in venerable Soldier Field, which opened in 1924. Once the team moves away from the lakefront venue, Arrowhead Stadium will become the NFL’s second-oldest facility, opened in 1972. Lambeau Field (1957) would then be the oldest.

Even before this week’s NFL stadium announcements, Clark Hunt said last month that while there’s nothing new on the Chiefs’ situation, the team leadership does feel a sense of urgency to make the decision. Donovan added the team was closer than ever.

The Chiefs compared to Chicago and Denver are in a favorable situation because of their geography. The team represents a city that exists across state lines of Kansas and Missouri, and both states badly want the team’s home address.

On July 7, the Legislative Coordinating Council in Kansas unanimously approved an extension to use bonds to cover 70 percent of a proposed domed stadium’s cost, should the Chiefs decide to move. The announcement included a deadline of June 30, 2026, although the committee indicated it is seeking an answer by the end of the 2025 calendar, from not only the Chiefs but also the Kansas City Royals.

Missouri, meanwhile, is offering a package signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe hammered out at a special session with state lawmakers. That package includes bonds paying for up to 50 percent of a new stadium or renovated Arrowhead, plus up to $50 million in tax credits and local-government aid.