The saga between the state of Missouri and the threat of the Kansas City Chiefs relocating has reached an important step. Per a report from the Associated Press, there have been hundreds of millions of dollars dedicated to convince the Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals from relocating to Kansas.
According to the report:
“Missouri lawmakers on Wednesday approved hundreds of millions of dollars of financial aid to try to persuade the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals to remain in the state and help the St. Louis area recover from a devastating tornado.
House passage sends the legislative package to Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, who called lawmakers into special session with a plea for urgent action. Kehoe is expected to sign the measures into law.”
The entire situation began in April of 2024 when taxpayers of Jackson County rejected a proposal that would have financed $800 million towards renovating Arrowhead Stadium, while also building a new ballpark district for the Royals.
The lease agreement for the stadium is set to expire in 2031.
Naturally, the idea that the Chiefs and Royals could consider relocating caught the attention of Kansas.
This was especially true when Chiefs owner Clark Hunt stated that relocation could be part of the plan.
“So for the last three months or so since I had a chance to visit with y’all at training camp, we have been working on creating some options. Not only for the stadium but for potentially a new training facility. We have been looking at a lot of sites, on both the Kansas and Missouri sides, as well as talking to the political leaders in Missouri about perhaps renovating Arrowhead,” Hunt stated.
The state of Kansas began to prepare its own chance at bringing in the current NFL dynasty, and Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed legislation to lure both teams to the state.
That deal sent by the state of Kansas is set to expire on June 30.
Now, Missouri is making its own counteroffer to keep the Chiefs in place.
Both teams also released statements regarding the movement of relocation.
“The Chiefs, in a statement to The Associated Press, described the legislative vote as a ‘significant step forward’ that enables the team to continue exploring options to remain in Missouri. The Royals described the legislation as ‘a very important piece of our decision-making process’ but made no site-specific commitment.
“Our focus remains the same: to prioritize the best interests of our team, fans, partners and regional community as we pursue the next generational home for the Kansas City Royals,” the team said in a statement to the AP.
For now, Missouri is putting up a fight to keep the Super Bowl-winning team in the state.
For more on the Chiefs, head to Newsweek Sports.
