‘Welcome home’: Dallas vies for second NFL team after Chiefs’ stadium tax plan fails

Kalan Hooks, ESPNApr 4, 2024, 02:19 PM ET

On Tuesday, Jackson County, Missouri, residents had a decision to make — to vote for or against a sales tax measure that could have assisted with renovations to Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, and funding for a new ballpark for the Kansas City Royals that would be located in the heart of Kansas City.

A majority of voters (58%) were against the sales tax plan, which hindered the renovations for Arrowhead Stadium, leaving their future questionable, as their lease at the Truman Sports Complex runs until Jan. 31, 2031. However, the Chiefs look to remain at the stadium, which has been home to the franchise since 1972.

After the rejection was announced, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson took it upon himself to pitch the Chiefs’ return to the city.

Welcome home, Dallas Texans! 🤗 #CottonBowl https://t.co/VFvBqhBHbe

— Mayor Eric L. Johnson (@Johnson4Dallas) April 3, 2024

According to the Dallas Morning News, Johnson said that Dallas has a large enough market to maintain two NFL teams.

“Dallas was named the top sports city in the United States because we play to win. … Our market is big enough, growing enough, and loves football more than enough to support a second NFL team, especially a franchise with deep roots here,” Johnson said.

Already the home of the Dallas Cowboys, Johnson explained that Dallas could maintain two NFL teams “better than Los Angeles and New York.”

The franchise began in the American Football League as the Dallas Texans in 1960. Lamar Hunt moved the team to Kansas City in 1963 and changed the name to the Chiefs.