The Chiefs plan to move from Missouri to Kansas in 2031. The agreement between the team and its new home state was announced on Monday. The 33-page document signed that day was the result of negotiations that had likely lingered for weeks, if not months.
There’s an obvious takeaway from the full agreement, which has been posted online. It’s not final. Which means there’s a chance it won’t be.
The arrangement with Kansas splits the costs of the domed stadium, at an estimated price tag of $3 billion, on a 60-40 basis. The Chiefs are responsible for 40 percent ($1.2 billion), and Kansas will pick up the other 60 percent ($1.8 billion). The Chiefs will be on the hook for any cost overruns.
The Chiefs also will pay $7 million per year in rent. Of that amount, $350,000 will cover administrative costs on the governmental side. The rest will go into a fund earmarked for repairs, maintenance, management, and operation of the stadium.
The Chiefs will pay all stadium operating costs, including insurance. In return, the Chiefs will “retain all revenues” generated by the new stadium, including naming rights.
But, again, the agreement to move isn’t officially done. There are several “conditions precedent,” which is legalese for “stuff that has to happen before it’s real.” The Chiefs, for example, have to acquire, by purchase or long-term lease, the stadium site. And while the Chiefs have agreed to engage in no negotiations with anyone else while the process of hammering out a fully final and binding agreement with Kansas continues, the Chiefs have a hand in the ultimate kill switch for the project: Failure of the NFL to approve the Kansas deal by October 31, 2026.
Even though the Chiefs can’t negotiate with Missouri in the coming months, nothing stops Missouri from reacting to its recent “shock to the system” by coming up with an equal or better offer to keep the team at a renovated Arrowhead Stadium and to publicize those terms in advance of the eventual NFL vote to approve the Kansas stadium.
And so, like any other deal —no matter how big or small — nothing is done until it’s officially and finally done. While Kansas has crafted an inside track, the race isn’t over. Assuming, that is, Missouri becomes willing and able to make the kind of move that will get enough owners to decide that the team’s 50-plus year history at Arrowhead Stadium should not be so quickly disregarded under the terms currently offered (or whatever else they’d say to justify not approving the Kansas project).
That’s not to say it will happen. Under the agreement reached on Monday, however, it absolutely can. First, Missouri has to decide that it’s willing to try to throw a wrench into the planned relocation.
Chiefs Clips
With last night’s closer-than-expected victory over the Chiefs — Denver’s first at Arrowhead Stadium in a decade — Broncos coach Sean Payton joined Bill Belichick as the only coaches with at least five seasons of 13 or more wins. (Belichick had seven.)
Payton was asked about the accomplishment after the game.
“I have been fortunate to have been on and coached a lot of great players,” Payton told reporters. “There is nothing like winning. When I heard that, I had trouble figuring out which were the 13-win teams. We had some other teams that were 12- or 11-win teams. I have been fortunate to have really good players and real good coaches. Some of them who are right here that have been a part of all of those wins, part of those wins. Obviously, Bill is good company. Let’s keep it going.”
In New Orleans, Payton’s Saints won 13 or more games in 2009, 2011, 2018, and 2019. The Saints had 11 wins three others times (2010, 2013, 2017) and 12 wins once (2020). That’s eight years with 11 or more victories.
As to the Broncos getting their first victory at Kansas City in a decade, Payton said he didn’t bring that up with his players in the days preceding the game.
“Those are someone else’s demons,” Payton said. “I heard that all of the time in New Orleans, ‘You’ve never won a playoff game.’ That’s not this team. You can’t fight those other demons.”
On Thursday night, they finally exorcized that specific demon. But the Broncos have far bigger goals. As Payton said after clinching a playoff berth, that wasn’t one of the objectives. The first was to win the division. And that still hasn’t happened. If the Chargers beat the Texans on Saturday afternoon, it’ll come down to Chargers at Broncos in Week 18, as Payton goes for his first ever 14-win season.
Much of the coverage of Thursday night’s Broncos-Chiefs game focused on the question of whether tight end Travis Kelce was playing his final game at Arrowhead Stadium. His slow exit from the field did little to counter the notion that, after the season ends, he’ll be retiring.
After the game, Kelce (who has not been speaking much to reporters this year) took to the podium and addressed the elephant in the room.
“Honestly, I’ve just been focused on trying to win football games, man,” Kelce said. “I’ll let that be a decision I make with my family, friends, the Chiefs organization when the time comes.”
The time is creeping closer. The Chiefs end the season next weekend, with a visit to the Raiders.
It seemed that Kelce was poised to retire if the Chiefs had won Super Bowl LIX. After the loss to the Eagles, he decided to keep it going.
If he would make the same decision in 2026, the first order of business will be a new contract. Kelce is slated to become a free agent for the first time in his career. He could, in theory, sign with any team he wants.
It’s impossible to imagine that happening. Currently, the signs are pointing to the 36-year-old Kelce calling it a career. One that will get him a bronze bust not far from where he grew up.
Given that he has already positioned himself to do pretty much whatever he wants (and to do it well) when he takes off his helmet for the last time, the last time seems to be roughly a week away. It’s ultimately his decision.
And, as we’ve learned from the likes of Brett Favre and Tom Brady — and more recently Brandon Graham and Philip Rivers — no retirement decision is ever irrevocable.
At the two-minute warning in a 13-13 game, the Broncos faced fourth and two from the Chiefs’ nine yard line. Denver lined up to go for it. Before the ball was snapped, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones flinched into the neutral zone, giving the visiting team a fresh set of downs from the four.
The Broncos scored, and the Chiefs couldn’t close the seven-point margin on their final drive.
After the 20-13 victory, Broncos coach Sean Payton said the offense was never going to snap the ball on the critical fourth-down play.
“It’s a no-brainer freeze,” Payton said, “but it is out of a different formation. One we had never shown. We were going to take the delay of game. We didn’t have a play. I don’t know why we called it Harrisburg. It looks like a play we have called Pittsburgh. No one moves in Harrisburg. I think that’s why we came up with that. It is a unique one because you are on the road, so it involves a heel and then [guard Quinn] Meinerz is barking the cadence out so, hats off to him. . . . That changed the complexity of the clock. That was a big play. . . .
“We were going to take the penalty and kick the field goal. That was the plan, and it was just an oddball formation to run a no-brainer freeze from. Especially on the road.”
The “set hut” call from Meinerz was timed to when quarterback Bo Nix’s foot came up, prior to the snap that was never going to happen. And it prompted to get Jones to move just enough to give the Broncos a first and goal.
But for that moment, the Chiefs would have gotten the ball back needing only a field goal to tie and a touchdown to win. Which may have resulted in something other than Denver’s 13th victory of the season.
When the Chiefs tied the game on Harrison Butker’s 47-yard field goal with 8:03 remaining, the Broncos had the Chiefs right where they wanted them.
Denver improved its record in one-score games to 11-2 this season as Bo Nix engineered his seventh game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.
The Broncos held off the feisty Chiefs 20-13 on Thursday Night Football.
Denver improved to 13-3, while Kansas City fell to 6-10.
Denver had a fourth-and-2 at the Kansas City 9 at the 2-minute warning when Chris Jones jumped offsides. It was Kansas City’s first penalty of the night but was costly. Instead of settling for a field goal, the Broncos forced the Chiefs to use two timeouts before scoring a touchdown on Nix’s 1-yard touchdown pass to running back RJ Harvey with 1:45 remaining.
The Chiefs had only 95 yards when they got the ball back at their own 35 with 1:45 left. With Patrick Mahomes watching from a suite, third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun led them 44 yards to the Denver 21 before running out of steam. His fourth-down pass was too high for Hollywood Brown in the end zone with 14 seconds left.
The Broncos outgained the Chiefs 303 to 139, with Nix going 26-of-38 for 182 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also ran for 42 yards and a touchdown.
Courtland Sutton caught four passes for 40 yards, and Harvey had 14 carries for 43 yards and five catches for 33 yards and the game-winning score.
Oladokun was 13-of-22 for 66 yards and a touchdown, a 1-yard throw to Brashard Smith. Travis Kelce, in what might be his final home game, caught five passes for 36 yards. Kareem Hunt had seven carries for 38 yards.
The Broncos were 0-for-2 in the red zone in the first half. They are 1-for-1 in the second half.
Denver scored its first touchdown of the game on a 9-yard run by Bo Nix with 1:55 remaining in the third quarter. The Broncos lead 13-10.
The Broncos trailed 7-6 at halftime, and the Chiefs opened the second half with a six-play, 28-yard drive that led to Harrison Butker’s 53-yard field goal.
The Broncos answered with a 14-play, 72-yard touchdown drive, regaining the lead for the first time since early in the second quarter. The big play came on first-and-20 when Nix completed a 23-yard pass to Courtland Sutton to the Kansas City 30.
They also converted a second-and-15 and a fourth-and-inches on the drive.
Nix is now 19-of-28 for 146 yards and an interception, with Sutton catching four for 40.
The Chiefs are eliminated from playoff contention and are playing their third-string quarterback. That hasn’t stopped them from making things hard on the Broncos.
The Chiefs lead the Broncos 7-6 at halftime.
The Broncos are 0-for-2 in the red zone, settling for Wil Lutz field goals of 27 and 30 yards after stalling at the Kansas City 9 and the Kansas City 11. They nearly scored a touchdown with 22 seconds left in the half, but Courtland Sutton had the ball come loose in the end zone when he hit the turf.
Denver had two other possessions in the first half, punting on one and throwing an interception on the other.
Chiefs defensive back Kristian Fulton tipped a Bo Nix pass intended for Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and linebacker Nick Bolton made a diving interception before the ball hit the ground. The Chiefs went 35 yards in 10 plays, with Chris Oladokun throwing his first career touchdown pass on a 5-yard throw to Brashard Smith.
The Broncos have outgained the Chiefs 151 to 79, with Nix going 13-of-22 for 86 yards. He has completed passes to eight different receivers.
Oladokun is 5-for-9 for 27 yards, with Travis Kelce catching two for 13. Isiah Pacheco has eight carries for 29 yards.
Chris Oladokun threw his first career touchdown pass, connecting on a 5-yarder to Brashard Smith. It has the Chiefs leading the Broncos 7-3 with 12:49 remaining in the second quarter.
The Chiefs took advantage of a takeaway as Kristian Fulton tipped a Bo Nix pass intended for Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and linebacker Nick Bolton made a diving interception before the ball hit the ground.
The Chiefs needed 10 plays to go 35 yards.
Tight end Travis Kelce has two catches for 13 yards in what might be his final home game for the Chiefs.
Oladokun, the team’s third quarterback, is 4-of-7 for 20 yards and a touchdown.
The Broncos signed tight end Marcedes Lewis and offensive guard Calvin Throckmorton to the active roster ahead of Thursday Night Football. Both players are active for the game against the Chiefs.
Inside linebacker Levelle Bailey and wide receiver Michael Bandy, who were elevated for the game, are also active.
The Broncos had no surprises on their list of inactives, with inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw (hamstring), tight end Nate Adkins (knee), wide receiver Pat Bryant (concussion), outside linebacker Que Robinson, defensive lineman Jordan Jackson, defensive lineman Sai’Vion Jones and offensive lineman Geron Christian not dressed.
Bryant, Adkins and Greenlaw were previously ruled out.
The Chiefs’ inactives are running back Dameon Pierce, cornerback Melvin Smith, defensive end Ethan Downs, defensive end Tyreke Smith, offensive lineman C.J. Hanson, offensive lineman Jaylon Moore (knee) and defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (illness).
They will have defensive end George Karlaftis and linebacker Nick Bolton. The Chiefs added them to the injury report Wednesday with an illness, and both were questionable to play.
The Broncos may have to play out the rest of their season without their starting center.
They announced that center Luke Wattenberg has been placed on injured reserve ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Chiefs. He will miss the final two games of the regular season because of his shoulder injury and would have to miss two playoff games before having any chance of returning.
Wattenberg has started every game this season and he recently signed a four-year contract extension.
Denver also waived running back Cody Schrader on Thursday. Guard Calvin Throckmorton and tight end Marcedes Lewis have been signed to the 53-man roster while linebacker Levelle Bailey and wide receiver Michael Bandy have been elevated from the practice squad to face the Chiefs.
