Chiefs owner issues response as Kansas City’s $4bn cross-state relocation plan hits roadblock

The Kansas City Chiefs are leaving Arrowhead Stadium behind.

In December 2025, the $6.2 billion NFL franchise announced their decision to relocate to Wyandotte County.

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The Chiefs plan to move across state lines, from Missouri to Kansas, where a new state-of-the-art, domed stadium will be built.

Since a deal was struck four months ago, plans for the $3bn building are advancing, and lawmakers last week passed the Kansas Sports Authority bill.

Chiefs owner Clark Hunt shares update on stadium project

The legislation is set to create a Sports Authority Board of 11 members, who would be responsible for issuing bonds and overseeing the development of major facilities, such as the team’s new home.

It also includes certain guardrails to make sure the project is paying off and will be sent to Kansas Governor Kelly’s desk to either be signed or vetoed.

The Chiefs have been lured into Wyandotte County by a STAR bond incentive program, with hopes that the public bonds can cover 60% of the total costs of building a new stadium and a separate $1bn HQ and training facility in Olathe, Kansas.

At the NFL’s annual meeting Monday, team owner Clark Hunt provided an update on relocation and stadium plans.

“We’ve made a lot of progress over the last three months,” he said, per Front Office Sports.

“I’ve been thrilled with what I’m seeing.”

The team is now deciding between two architect firms to design their new stadium, with a final choice expected later this spring.

MANICA and Populous, two well-known regional firms, have advanced to the final stage of the competitive design process.

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X/@JoePompliano

But while Hunt’s outlook is positive, the Chiefs could face a future roadblock, if a newly-introduced federal bill passes.

What is the Home Team Act and how could it impact NFL teams?

Two congressmen last week introduced a bill that would essentially federalize Ohio’s Modell Law, and impose conditions on pro sports teams with plans to relocate.

The Home Team Act, proposed by Rep. Greg Casar and Sen. Bernie Sanders, would require owners to give local communities a chance to buy the teams before relocating.

Provisions would also mandate that team owners give a minimum one-year notice before moving to a new community, which is defined as ‘crossing state lines or moving to a new metropolitan statistical area.’

A number of penalties could be enforced on non-compliant franchise owners, including fines of $30,000 per day.

“The American people are sick and tired of billionaires threatening to move the sports teams they own to different states unless they get hundreds of millions in corporate welfare to build new stadiums,” Sanders said in a statement, introducing the bill.

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“In my view, professional sports teams should be owned and controlled by the fans who love them, not by the multi-billionaire oligarchs who are getting even richer by charging outrageous prices and getting taxpayers to pick up their extravagant costs.”

As the pair introduced the act, Casar took direct aim at the Chiefs.

“We see it in Kansas City, where taxpayers are handing billions to a family already worth $25 billion,” he said.

“Imagine what those billions of dollars could do building public parks, youth sports leagues, fields, courts for our kids.

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“Our bill will make sure that cities and states are not negotiating with a gun to their head.”

If it passes, the legislation could also impact the Chicago Bears, amid a potential relocation to Indiana.

Hunt, though, didn’t sounds too concerned about it when he spoke Monday.

The Chiefs owner told reporters that he ‘didn’t know enough about the Bernie Sanders proposal to really comment.’

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