Chiefs consider stadium future as timeline for final decision grows clearer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt spoke on Day 2 of the NFL Draft about where things stand with negotiations to remodel or rebuild the stadium for the four-time Super Bowl Champions.

Hunt said he’s been having good conversations on both sides of the state line, but it’s a team effort with a lot of players.

“The biggest thing is reaching an agreement with the political leadership that’s in place, whether it’s in Kansas or in Missouri,” Hunt said, “and that’s both at a state level, a city level, a county level. There are a lot of groups that you’ve got to have an agreement with.”

ALSO READ: Former Chiefs defensive player inducted into KC’s Hall of Fame

The financial overtures from Kansas to bring the Chiefs across the state line came only two months after voters last April rejected a sales tax thar would have helped the Chiefs and Royals get shinier digs. The tax measure would have supplemented the cost of both renovating Arrowhead and building a new Royals stadium downtown.

Hunt has stayed relatively consistent in his messaging ever since about where he’d like to see the Chiefs play. He’s said he’s considering Kansas but also still open to staying at the Truman Sports Complex.

He indicated Friday that the team is negotiating with some urgency, then he gave a bit more specificity on timeline.

ALSO READ: Kansas City business leaders urge ‘swift action’ to keep Chiefs, Royals

“I think, from a design and construction standpoint, it would be in the four to five year time frame,” he said about how long it would take from deal to done for a new stadium.

Hunt later clarified that a renovation project would take about as long because the work can only be done off-season.

The Chiefs lease Arrowhead from Jackson County. That lease expires in January of 2031, which is just over 5-1/2 years away.

Hunt wouldn’t provide a deadline for making a decision, but the timeline he provided suggests the team may need to start making decisions by the end of the year.

Royals owner John Sherman has been more specific about a deadline. Sherman said he would like to announce a location for the Royals in June or July. He made it clear last year that the team has no intention of renovating.

READ MORE: ‘How would I react in that situation?’: UMKC students alarmed after armed robbery

Copyright 2025 KCTV. All rights reserved.