Voters in Jackson County (Missouri) recently shot down a ballot initiative that would have generated, via a sales-tax extension, $800MM for renovations to Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs’ home venue. Prior to the vote, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt and team president Mark Donovan suggested the club would consider relocation if the measure was not passed.
While such a move would still qualify as a major surprise and would take a long time to come to fruition — the club’s lease with the Truman Sports Complex runs through 2031 — sharks are smelling blood in the water. As Lukas Weese of The Athletic writes, Dallas mayor Eric Johnson is openly advocating for the Chiefs to move to Dallas (subscription required).
In the wake of the voters’ decision on the sales-tax extension, Johnson said on X, “welcome home Dallas Texans” (prior to moving to Kansas City and rebranding as the Chiefs after the 1962 season, the club began play as the Dallas Texans, a charter member of the AFL). While that was something of a tongue-in-cheek comment, Johnson is serious about the possibility of bringing the franchise back to Texas.
“The connections are so deep, the history is so rich,” Johnson said. “We actually could put together the deals that would make sense for them to get them here.”
Johnson’s enthusiasm aside, even if the Chiefs were to undertake a relocation effort, there are any number of hurdles that could thwart a move to Dallas. One such hurdle, of course, is the fact that there is already a team in that city, and it is the most valuable team in the league, under the stewardship of perhaps the NFL’s most influential owner.
Despite having failed to advance to the Super Bowl since the end of the 1995 campaign, Jerry Jones‘ Cowboys remain hugely popular and were recently valued at $9 billion. Several years ago, Jones dismissed the idea of another team competing in his market, saying, “you can be rest assured that you would not have the NFL supporting another team because of the kind of value that the game and the NFL receives of having [the] Dallas Cowboys as one of its marquee teams.”
Johnson, however, is not so sure. “When the NFL looks at the next round of expansion, they will not find an American city where there is not an NFL franchise currently that will be a more lucrative or faster-growing market to put a team,” he said.
Weese, citing census reports, says that the population of Dallas-Fort Worth has increased by approximately 23% since 2010, and current estimates suggest that it could be the third-largest metro area in the country — behind only Los Angeles and New York, both of which have two NFL clubs — by the 2030s.
With respect to Jones’ comments, Johnson said, “you never say never because [Jones is] a businessman and he’s in the business of making money. There is a strong argument to make that the Cowboys’ franchise value is not tied to the city it plays in or is connected with. It’s an international phenomenon at this point.”
Johnson, who took office in 2019, has been seeking another major sports franchise for Dallas for some time, and two years ago, he put together an ad hoc committee as part of that endeavor. As far as where a hypothetical second NFL team would play, he has floated Hensley Field, a 738-acre city-owned site that was once the Dallas Naval Air Station, as a possible home. The site is on the water and offers the chance for an increasingly popular mixed-use development that could represent “an economically vibrant district of the city that brings new opportunities to its residents and workers.”
The Chiefs, fresh off their third Super Bowl title in five years, are a bonafide dynasty that still has many more years of Patrick Mahomes to enjoy. It is far too soon for their local fans to panic, but if Hunt, Donovan & Co. seek to move, they will find that one of the country’s biggest cities has its arms wide open.
Out of curiosity, who is that a photo of? There are three people mentioned in the article (Chiefs team president Mark Donovan, Dallas mayor Eric Johnson, and Jerry Jones), and it does not appear to be any of them. I’m on mobile if that helps.
I believe it’s Clark Hunt w/ his wife and daughter.
I’m on the app and just seeing a helmet.
It’s Clark Hunt and his wife and daughter.
Thanks, arty.
It definitely is Clark Hunt; not so sure about the ladies but I think they’ve been around the podium after the wins, so most likely family.
I just see a red helmet with a map of Texas on it and I’m on mobile looking at the app…..
Ah, I am on mobile but viewing through a browser and not the app.
I think its Hunt with his wife and daughter (liquid silver)
Think St Louis or San Diego would be on the list before another team in Dallas.and if we are going to Texas either San Antonio or Austin makes sense. They’re about 1.5 hours from each other and combined they’re somewhere in the 3-4 mill population range. Could do a 3rd team in Florida in Orlando or Oklahoma City as a dark horse location. Oklahoma vs Texas college games are always fun as historic rivals and something the NFL can exploit for $$$
The Chiefs might be the only team that St. Louis would comfortably accept, I think. The Rams offended them, but some turned to the other Missouri franchise afterward, and St. Louis was the only city to put forward a decent proposal that year (not that Oakland or San Diego should have been obligated to do so, mind you), so if the people are willing, there is a chance.
I highly doubt that the Chiefs end up moving (despite Mark Donovan’s cartoonish and, in my opinion, highly disrespectful comments preceding the vote). It’s one thing to move a struggling team, it’s another to move a team that’s won three recent championships, been to a fourth, and has what probably are the league’s three most recognizable figures (Mahomes, Kelce, and Reid-dare we count Swift?).
Kroenke had a plan-he had the Rams be terrible for several years following their Super Bowl heights, and then put money into the team after moving to create success. The Raiders and Chargers were competitive sparingly, but not consistently, before their respective moves. It will be much harder to relocate the most successful franchise currently in the NFL, and much, much harder to relocate what could be its most recently marketable. The Chiefs are possibly both.
No one in Austin has said a word about an NFL team..Crickets.
I guess San Antonio could wipe the dust off the Alamodome…..
Austin already has a major league sportsball franchise: the Texas Longhorns, who move to the Southeastern Conference beginning July 1, 2024.
The OKC Okies could be the name of a team in OKC
Chicago should have a second team, Bears are building a dome on the lake, they could easily sell the Arlington Heights property which is large enough for a modern stadium to a new team, our politicians have no problem stealing money from us for billionaires so may as well have someone to root for when the Bears inevitably make me cry, Chicago Shooters, it’s perfect
Yeah, spend $200 million to acquire a former horserace track and then play “Flip Or Flop” cos you want a taxpayer-funded sportsball palace from a corrupt city with crooked politicians and trigger-happy police.
That’s the kind of stuff that starts a revolution.
Anything to bring a successful team to Dallas.
How on earth does this get a post lmao. Clearly nonsensical idea
It’s April 7th
3 weeks until the draft
Free agency mostly over
Spring otas don’t begin until May
There’s really nothing going on football wise unless you wanna talk about the UFL.
Till then the Chiefs decision making after failed voter renovation funding is the most notable story out there.
The NFL doesn’t have a problem helping pay for new stadiums; LA, London & Vegas, so why not fund renovating stadiums? That tells me the NFL is fine with teams threatening to relocate to different cities. KC, & Jags come to mind that need repairs & both have voiced their displeasure over their current stadiums.
I agree, but the league craves big flashy stadiums that maximize their revenue. Renovations don’t give them all that bling.
Dallas is that desperate to win its sad.
What does Tom Brennaman think about the move?
I doubt Jerry Jones lets it happen.
If there is any collusion, it should be all taxpayers refusing to cover stadiums that will never be paid off only for these same crybabies to complain they need another new stadium in 30 years.
They are billionaires, they can pay for this themselves since most of these clowns are also getting the real estate around such facilities that they, and their cronies, will make a killing off of.
Clark Hunt = Winning
Jerry is going to make sure this man does not get re-elected.
“The connections are so deep, the history is so rich,” Johnson said.
WTF? 60+ years ago they played three seasons in Dallas. The dude is on something.
I agree, but it’s more history than the Chargers had with L.A., so there is that, I suppose.
Cowboys and Chiefs in Dallas. The themes at least contrast accordingly.
LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL
my phone shows a picture of what looks like an updated Dallas Texans helmet. I don’t know if that’s one of the throwback helmets the Chiefs use or not.
Chiefs ain’t moving…just another ploy by billionaires to scam cities…like someone else We know
Blown out of proportion……Chiefs ain’t going anywhere, this was never about the Chiefs, when they go on the ballot without the inclusion of the Royals, it’s a gimme…..they’re going to get whatever they want
…..this is more about the Royals trying to hold the city hostage for a downtown ballpark without even a plan or proper rendering in place and it got voted down, not about the Chiefs who are tied to the Royals …for now…in the Truman Sports Complex deal, they will next time have separate votes
Kc ain’t going nowhere
The Royals have a new owner who decided he wants a downtown ballpark, he threatened to move the team if he doesn’t get it, voters said….screw you, what have you done for us but suck, don’t threaten us……enough to get the stadium vote denied
World Champions just 9 years ago…
This is straight up a Ted Leonsis maneuver. In 2018 when Ted Leonsis and the Washington Capitals won Lord Stanleys Cup, Ted went to the city and asked for upgrades to be made to Capital One Arena, or a new stadium at the RFK site. The ask was for $100 million in stadium, infrastructure, and technological upgrades. The mayor told Ted to pound sand and refused to listen to any tax funded request.
Fast forward to 2023 and Ted Leonsis worked out a new stadium deal with Commonwealth of Virginia. He was going to move the hockey and basketball teams to a new state of the art multifunctional facility. The DC Mayor and City Council suddenly was able to approve $515 million in upgrades to keep the teams at the Capital One Arena.
End result was it cost more to keep the team.
Conveniently omitting one important fact: Virginia’s Republican governor supported that taxpayer-funded sportsball palace in Alexandria — the Democratic-controlled state legislature opposed it.
Conveniently omitting one important fact:
Nice observation however, that was all intended. There is a reason that Ted Leonsis moved forward by investing $110 mil of his own funds into closing the Green Turtle and expanding Caesars Sportsbook. He also added and paid for approval to have an Arena entrance on the club level. In 2022 Guy Fieri was brought in as a partner to add his name and recipes to the kitchen. Not really investments to make if you are going to relocate.
Ted Leonsis had no intention on moving the teams but needed a secondary plan. Glenn Youngkin can now get his transportation and infrastructure bills (along with whatever else) passed. The State legislature can celebrate they stopped the sports complex and Youngkin can celebrate he got to pad support pockets.
Every elected official in a 25 mile radius can claim victory, and they all have.
And yet the team will stay in the same dump of an area thanks to the total lack of policing despite being a short walk to police headquarters. Funny how companies want to flee this city because folks don’t want to travel to the city and deal with the nonsense. But somehow Mayor Bozo can find the funding when it’s needed.
I doubt the Chiefs would even consider a move back to Texas. The mayor might as well be trying to lure the Washington Redskins to Dallas.
If the Chiefs move anywhere it’s to Kansas. They have the public money without needing a public vote. Then KCMO can put together the new baseball stadium. Kind of rough building 2 billion dollar stadiums at the same time.