Chiefs to leave Missouri for Kansas, will the Bears leave Chicago for Indiana?

Kansas City Chiefs announce plans to leave Missouri

While the Chicago Bears are looking to find the location for a new stadium, the Kansas City Chiefs announced their plans to move out of Missouri and into the state of Kansas.

CHICAGO - After more than 50 years of calling Arrowhead Stadium their Kingdom, the Kansas City Chiefs announce they will leave the state of Missouri for Kansas.

What we know:

On Monday afternoon, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, alongside Chief owner Clark Hunt announced the team will have a new domed stadium that will be ready for the 2031 NFL season.

The announcement came shortly after a council of top Kansas lawmakers voted unanimously inside a packed room at the state Capitol to allow the state to issue a little more than $2.4 billion in bonds to cover about 60% of the cost of the new stadium, a new training facility and retail and entertainment space. The bonds will be paid off with state sales and liquor tax revenues generated in a defined area around it.

"Regardless of where you live or where you're watching from today, I hope this team has made you proud and I hope you're as excited as we are about this next chapter in Chiefs history," said Hunt.

While the team and state lawmakers didn't specify the city, they did announce that the team intends to build the new stadium in Wyandotte County. The Chiefs will also relocate team headquarters to Olathe, Kansas with a new $300 million practice facility and committed to at least $700 million in other development.

"Today’s announcement is truly historic. Actually, it’s a little surreal," Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said. "Today’s announcement will touch the lives of Kansans for generations to come. Today’s announcement is a total game-changer for our state.

Bears in Indiana? Inside the politics and rumors of a stadium move

Bears in Indiana? As the team thrills on the field, big questions are unfolding off it as the Bears continue their search for a new stadium. Our Fox Chicago team dives into the politics, rumors and possible locations.

Local perspective:

In a letter to fans days ago, Chicago Bears team president Kevin Warren said he believes the former Arlington International Racecourse property is the only viable location in Cook County for a world-class NFL stadium. 

But he said years of good-faith negotiations with Illinois officials have stalled, with state leadership telling the franchise its project "will not be a priority in 2026."

"We have been told directly by State leadership, our project will not be a priority in 2026, despite the benefits it will bring to Illinois," Warren said in part. "Consequently, in addition to Arlington Park, we need to expand our search and critically evaluate opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana."

Sports business expert Marc Ganis tells Fox Chicago that the Chicago Bears and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker are watching what happened in Missouri and how Kansas was able to lure the Chiefs across state lines.

"Deals like this not only can happen, but will happen," said Ganis. "That it's not just leverage, it's not just media, but that it's reality. Going 25 miles south versus 25 miles north of the core of the city, isn't that big of a deal for an NFL team."

Fox Chicago reached out to the Chicago Bears and Gov. JB Pritzker's office for comment. We're still waiting to hear back.

Kansas state officials also predict that more than 20,000 new construction jobs will be created.

While the final location for the stadium has not been decided, Chiefs president Mark Donovan said it would seat about 65,000, roughly 10,000 fewer fans than Arrowhead Stadium. That follows a trend across professional sports of building stadiums and arenas that have fewer overall seats but more amenities, luxury seating and premium spaces.

"We have a lot of work to do. We’re still early in the process," Hunt said. "In the months ahead, we will hire an architect and contractor and get to work on the five-plus-year timeline to build a new stadium."