• Loading stock data...
Saturday, July 5, 2025

Chiefs’ President: Team Keeping ‘All Options’ Open If Stadium Vote Fails

  • Donovan said he’s ‘cautiously optimistic’ that a public vote would pass.
  • He did not rule out severing the stadium partnership with the Royals.
Kansas City Chiefs president Mark Donovan
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Chiefs president Mark Donovan (above) described himself as “cautiously optimistic” that a scheduled April 2 public vote would pass on a ⅜-cent sales tax for 40 years, which would help fund $2 billion for the renovation of Arrowhead Stadium and a new downtown Royals stadium. But, speaking to a small group of national reporters over Zoom on Thursday, he reiterated that “all options” are on the table if the voters turn the tax down.

Asked whether that meant relocation elsewhere in Missouri or farther afield, Donovan declined to delineate what he meant by “all options.” If the public money falls through, he said, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt is unwilling to sell a slice of the team to raise capital for the renovation. Wearing a Royals sweater to celebrate Opening Day (Chiefs coach Andy Reid is throwing out the first pitch), Donovan also did not rule out severing the long-term venues partnership with the baseball team.

The Royals and Chiefs have worked together since the early 1970s when their respective stadiums were built in the same complex.

“We’d have to look at all of our options, and that may include, you know, separate paths. We’ll see,” Donovan said.

Donovan says the Chiefs are making progress in convincing voters of the merits of the tax, which he described as investments in the community, more favorable leases for the municipalities, and the teams’ economic impact.

“And the reality is last year, just last year, this organization, the Chiefs’ organization, had a $993 million economic impact on this region,” Donovan said. (Economists often dispute economic impact estimates from leagues and teams.) “So we’ve been good partners; for a long, long time this partnership has worked. We have a massive economic impact. We have a really bright future. And we’ve just negotiated deals [the leases] that are unprecedented. We’re hopeful that it gets across the finish line. That’s what we’re focused on. That’s all we’ve been focused on. If that doesn’t happen, then we can look at our options and see exactly where we stand.”

The package would tie the Chiefs to Arrowhead through at least 2050, and possibly through ’65, depending on a series of five-year options.

While many new and renovated venues are part of mixed-use development projects, that is not the plan for the Chiefs (it is, however, for the Royals’ downtown prospects). In fact, business entities in the city of Independence, where the Chiefs and Royals currently play, don’t want the football team to develop the areas adjacent to Arrowhead, Donovan said.

“The former mayor of Independence and the Chamber [of Commerce] has come to us and asked us not to develop it, around it right now,” Donovan said. “They want to focus their time on downtown Independence and really growing that. And they feel like if we develop it competes with that.”

Asked about a letter sent Monday that complained about Jackson County executive Frank White to the county legislature, Donovan described the politician as disengaged.

“Unfortunately, a lot of our time delays, a lot of the deadlines missed in the process, more so on the Royals’ side than on the Chiefs’ side but affected both of us, were due to just a lack of engagement,” he said. “You know, honestly, we had multiple meetings with Frank’s team. … I literally only had, I think, two meetings in this whole process where Frank was in the room. So … it’s been a little frustrating … it’s been very eye-opening for me.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

exclusive

PGA Tour Slashes FedEx Cup Winner Pay From $25M to $10M

The FedExCup is reworking how it distributes its bonus money.

As NBA Free Agency Quiets, Focus Shifts to Potential Extensions

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signed a four-year, $285 million extension.

Paramount Settles Trump Suit Ahead of NFL Season, Skydance Merger

The deal likely allows the much larger Skydance merger deal to proceed.

Big Ten Commish Still Pushes for 4 Auto CFP Bids in 16-Team..

The conference wants four guaranteed spots in the Playoff.

Featured Today

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
July 4, 2025

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.
July 3, 2025

Geoffrey Esper Can’t Catch a Break at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

“Hot dogs is not one of my favorite competitions of the year.”
June 29, 2025

The Battle Over Wimbledon’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

A classic NIMBY standoff on one of the most hallowed grounds in sports.

Commanders’ $3.8B Stadium Deal in Jeopardy? Mayor Sounds the Alarm

Political tensions rise about delays in stadium funding approval.
June 26, 2025

Bengals Strike 10-Year, $470M Stadium Deal to Stay in Cincinnati

The NFL franchise and Hamilton County have agreed to a new lease.
July 1, 2025

$600M for Browns Stadium Sparks Cleveland Backlash, Possible Lawsuit

The awarding of public funds draws criticism and could bring a lawsuit.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
June 26, 2025

Browns $2.4B Stadium Plan Now Relies on Ohioans’ Forgotten Money

Ohio’s Modell Law is revised, while stadium funding faces new challenges.
June 25, 2025

MLB’s Bold Bristol Plan: Inside the Renovation and Potential Records

Work accelerates to convert the massive motorsports venue for baseball.
June 24, 2025

Diamondbacks Score Up to $500M for Chase Field Renovation

Concerns about another potential team relocation in Arizona influence the vote.
June 23, 2025

A’s Launch $1.75B Ballpark Build With Funding Puzzle Still Unsolved

Ground is broken in Las Vegas, but funding issues, Sacramento woes persist.