Chiefs & Mahomes 'serious threat' to leave Arrowhead Stadium, team insider says (2024)

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs could all be on the move.

A Kansas City sports writer believes that the back-to-back Super Bowl winners will eventually leave Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri and cross state lines to enjoy the comforts of a new state-of-the-art NFL stadium in Kansas.

Blair Kerkhoff, who's been a writer for 35 years at The Kansas City Star and covers the Chiefs, also thinks that Major League Baseball's Royals will remain in Missouri but leave Kauffman Stadium -- which hosted the 2015 World Series champions and is famously known for its flowing fountains -- and relocate to downtown.

"What I think is, how it's gonna play out -- through all the twists and turns -- I think the Chiefs are going to end up over on the Kansas side of the state line," Kerkhoff exclusivey told talkSPORT.

"I think the Royals will find a way to work something out with Jackson County in the city of Kansas City to be in downtown Kansas City.

"Baseball would stay in Missouri. The football (NFL) moves to Kansas."

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While the Chiefs playing in a different state could still be years away, Kerkhoff joked that it's already easy to envision a huge Taylor Swift concert unveiling the sparkling new stadium that would house the reigning Super Bowl champs.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if things worked out and she would open the place," he said.

The Chiefs and Royals both currently call Kansas City, Missouri home and their aging but revered stadiums are located within walking distance of each other.

The city of Kansas City is spread between the states of Missouri and Kansas.

'A serious situation'

In April, residents of Jackson County, Missouri voted against a sales tax measure that would have helped fund a new downtown ballpark for the Royals and contributed to major renovations of Arrowhead Stadium.

That has reignited a sometimes bitter state vs state rivalry that traces back 170 years, as Kansas attempts to pry the Chiefs' dynasty away from Missouri.

Andy Reid, Mahomes and Kelce theoretically could drive to play in a new stadium that would echo billion-dollar venues such as the Los Angeles Rams/Chargers' SoFi Stadium and the Las Vegas Raiders' Allegiant Stadium, which just hosted the Chiefs' thrilling overtime win in Super Bowl LVIII,

But it would be a massive change overall for fiercely loyal Chiefs fans.

Arrowhead Stadium opened in 1972 and is one of the few remaining old-school iconic stadiums remaining in the NFL.

"It is a serious situation," Kerkhoff said. "The lease for the Chiefs and the Royals in their current stadiums expires after the 2030 season for baseball and for football. And so they either have to renew or come up with some sort of deal to stay where they are or they're going to leave."

It's almost unthinkable for a Premier League team to change cities.

In the NFL, the Rams, Chargers and Raiders all left their old home cities behind, as the franchises "Kept Up With The Joneses" to remaine relevant in the financial marketplace.

The Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium, which will host the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul boxing match and be streamed live on Netflix, and the New York Giants/Jets' MetLife Stadium are more in line with what the Chiefs could receive in nearby Kansas.

Kansas City is a relatively small sports market compared to major American cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Emotional decisions

The Chiefs aren't threatening to move to Manhattan or La La Land.

But it appears that they will switch states and stadiums if Arrowhead isn't renovated again.

"It is a bit of an emotional issue," Kerkhoff said. "You've lived in the same house for almost 55 years and now you've decided not to make the needed repairs in your current house and you want to buy new.

"It's going to be more expensive. However, if this happens, if a new stadium is built, not only do the Chiefs get a new home on par with the best of the stadiums that have been built in the NFL ... but now the Chiefs would have the opportunity to land other events, assuming they put a roof on this.

"Maybe an NCAA Final Four comes to Kansas City. Maybe concerts in the winter can come to Kansas City."

Chiefs president Mark Donovan previously threatened that the team could leave Kansas City if the April tax vote failed.

"We were ready to extend the longstanding partnership that the teams have enjoyed with this county," Donovan said. "This is important. We will do and look to do what is in the best interest of our fans and our organization as we move forward.”

Chiefs defender Charles Omenihu tweeted "SMH" after the bill failed.

Fans hit back, saying that the Chiefs -- who are valued at $4.3 billion, according toForbes-- should fund their own new stadium during challenging economic times.

"Tell (Chiefs Chairman and CEO) Clark (Hunt) to make some actual useful renovations, not upgrades to the suites for his rich friends," a fan tweeted.

Arrowhead Stadium has given Mahomes, Kelce and Reid one of the best homefield advantages in the NFL for years.

If the Chiefs move across state lines and switch their allegiance to Kansas while leaving their old Missouri home behind, much will change for football's newest dynasty.

"I know the team likes to think of Arrowhead as being an iconic stadium," Kerkhoff said. "To me, maybe not in the in the realm of Lambeau (Field) or Soldier Field. But it's been around since 1972. They've had great success in that stadium the last few years.

"It has developed a reputation of being the loudest of the stadiums and it's a wonderful atmosphere. You leave that behind to build a new house on the other side of the state line, so there would be a sense of loss."

Mahomes and the Chiefs open their 2024 season against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead.

Kansas City is attempting to become the first team in NFL history to accomplish a three-peat.

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