For over a year now, the Kansas City Chiefs have been weighing their options for life after Arrowhead Stadium, with their lease set to expire in 2031. The Chiefs have been exploring every angle, from renovation versus relocation to Missouri versus Kansas. And this week, they took another major step in shaping that future.

Back in April 2024, the KC Chiefs hired CSL International to run market research on potential stadium plans. Now, they’ve officially brought in a management and consulting firm, CAA, to steer the actual design process. And that firm will focus its efforts on a possible new stadium in Kansas. Meanwhile, the Chiefs haven’t shut the door on Missouri either. They just wrapped up a meeting with architectural firm Populous, which came back with a revamped design for a renovated Arrowhead based on feedback from thousands of fan surveys.

So yes, both states are still very much in play. On the Kansas side, CAA Icon has been tapped to take charge of the design and planning process. Their first big task: reach out to architectural firms to see who’s interested in joining the project. Those early submissions, known as “requests for qualifications,” or RFQs, landed at CAA Icon’s Denver office this week.

CAA’s resume speaks for itself, really. They’ve had a hand in some of the NFL’s biggest modern venues, including Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, and the new Nissan Stadium in Nashville. So if the Chiefs are really serious about exploring a dome stadium across the border in Kansas, these are the right people to help chart that path.

“We haven’t determined what our potential dome stadium in Kansas is going to look like,” President Mark Donovan said. “These guys are going to help us pick the firm that’s going to work with us, just like Populous did on renovation.”

Missouri’s proposal to renovate GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium hit a wall last April when 58% of voters rejected a sales tax plan that was tied to the Royals’ downtown ballpark proposal. Since then, both states have been courting the Chiefs with financial incentives. Kansas Legislature’s leaders have even given the team a firm deadline (December 31st) to deliver a stadium concept. So, don’t expect any big news until we’re close to the new year. But would it be viable to simply renovate the Arrowhead?

Mark Donovan’s renovation dilemma

Well, it’s not too simple. GEHA Field at Arrowhead is about to become the NFL’s second-oldest stadium once the Bears move out of Soldier Field later this decade. That history matters a lot to fans. Still, nostalgia doesn’t pay for new luxury suites and upgraded facilities, so the team is weighing what’s realistic.

Sure, Populous brought in new concepts this week, but the plan comes with some big hurdles. For one, the Royals still haven’t finalized their own stadium situation, and the Kauffman Stadium site is a huge factor. And their footprint is a big part of what Donovan would like to do at Arrowhead.

“In the scenario where we’re moving forward with the renovation, we still have to demo and be able to use that land. So, if that hasn’t been decided, that puts a bit of a challenge into our plan,” he said.

Then there’s the money issue. The Chiefs have made it clear that any Arrowhead renovation would require support from Jackson County taxpayers. This funding question will go to a public vote on November 4.

“I don’t think there’s a viable plan in Missouri without a Jackson County sales tax. So, if that doesn’t happen, it’d be difficult to envision this thing making sense,” Donovan said. The lease runs out in 2031, and the Chiefs have some massive decisions to make before then.