Kansas City (Missouri) mayor is optimistic Chiefs will stay put

The Chiefs supposedly have a June 30 deadline for accepting an offer from Kansas to help pay for a new domed stadium. On the other side of the border, more work needs to be done to finalize a plan for renovating Arrowhead Stadium, the team's long-time home.

Kansas City (Missouri) mayor Quinton Lucas expressed hope on Sunday that the Chiefs will stay put, with a $1.15 billion renovation of their long-time home.

“I’ve had optimism all the time, and I think there are more and more reasons for that,” Lucas said, via Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star. “I said [last summer] that I believe we’d have a compelling Missouri state offer. We’ve gotten to that.

“It took a little longer than perhaps some would have wanted. I think the local government conversation is something that continues to proceed, as well."

Lucas, who made his comments while in Kansas for a KC World Cup community event, conceded that a final deal for an Arrowhead renovation won't be in place before the Chiefs' deadline to accept the Kansas offer comes and goes.

“I frankly continue to hope that we have it resolved sooner rather than later,” Lucas said. “The June 30 deadline set up by the state of Kansas may be a little tough for us, but we’re going to make sure that we have a compelling offer to both teams in that time.

“Kansas City, and the state of Missouri, is where they need to be. In terms of where the offers are, I think it will be on the teams to decide how quickly they want to proceed.”

The Chiefs moved to Kansas City in 1962, after surrendering Dallas to the NFL and the Cowboys.

“Kansas City, Missouri has made sense for 50 plus years,” Lucas said. “It will continue to do so.”

Until it doesn't. And it won't if the Chiefs decide to commit to a new stadium by making a short move to a city in a different state but with the same name.