The Chiefs are facing questions on the field and off it. And the latter may end up reshaping the franchise just as much as the former, as written by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
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While Kansas City sorts through uncertainty around the team itself, the battle over where the Chiefs will play their home games continues to heat up. Missouri wants to keep the team at Arrowhead Stadium through a major renovation. Kansas, meanwhile, is pushing for something far bigger. A brand-new domed stadium across the state line.
According to the Kansas City Star, the Kansas Legislative Coordinating Council will meet Monday to discuss ongoing talks with the Chiefs. Kansas Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes told the outlet that negotiations between the state and the team are already underway.
"It is my understanding that the Chiefs and Kansas have been in negotiation and they will bring what they have agreed on to the LCC," Sykes said.
The Kansas Department of Commerce confirmed it is aggressively pursuing the Chiefs, though it stopped short of saying a deal is done. Officials said there is no final agreement in place, leaving plenty of room for interpretation about how close things really are.
Monday's meeting could provide the clearest picture yet of how serious Kansas' push has become.
Missouri is not backing off. Jackson County executive Phil LeVota said he continues to have positive conversations with the Chiefs and remains confident the organization would like to stay where it has played for decades.
"They're a business," LeVota said. "So I'm going to keep pushing and advocating for the Chiefs to remain in Jackson County."
Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas added that the city does not negotiate publicly, signaling that discussions are happening behind closed doors on both sides of the border.
For now, the Chiefs are keeping their options open. Arrowhead Stadium is iconic, but a domed facility in Kansas would open the door to year-round events and possibly even a Super Bowl.
On Monday, some of that private negotiating could finally spill into public view.
