Chiefs pushed for relocation by Dallas mayor, says he "has a good open line of communication with Clark Hunt"
After Kansas City residents rejected a push by Chiefs owner Clark Hunt to have taxpayers foot part of the bill for stadium expenses, Dallas has entered the race to be the new home of the franchise.
Or one could call it the old home, as the mayor of the city, Eric Johnson, implied. The team was formed by Lamar Hunt as the Dallas Texans in 1960 and shared the Cotton Bowl with the Cowboys. He then moved them to Kansas City in 1963.
Alluding to that, the mayor wrote on X:
"Welcome home, Dallas Texans!"
He further emphasized those connections in statements to The Athletic:
“The connections are so deep, the history is so rich. We actually could put together the deals that would make sense for them to get them here... I’m not really at liberty to say other than I have a good open line of communication with Clark Hunt. And that line of communication remains.”
Dallas mayor says Jerry Jones will be fine with Clark Hunt relocating Chiefs to the city
The Cowboys and Jerry Jones have a lock on the sympathies of Dallas fans today and might not like Clark Hunt and the Chiefs coming back to the city. But Mayor Johnson dismissed those arguments, saying:
“You never say never because he’s a businessman and he’s in the business of making money. There is a strong argument to make that the Cowboys’ franchise value is not tied to the city it plays in or is connected with. It’s an international phenomenon at this point."
Adding that Dallas could join New York and Los Angeles as cities with NFL teams in each conference, the mayor said:
“It’s not about us. It’s about what’s in the best interests of these organizations we care about. I believe there’s an argument to be made to Jerry Jones that is not hurtful and potentially beneficial to the Jones family and the Dallas Cowboys to be the epicenter of football by having two NFL franchises, one in each conference, that compete here every single week and bring attention to this market.”
He also lambasted those opposing the proposed Chiefs move, writing on X:
"This guy basically argues that Jerry Jones’ ineffectiveness as a general manager and resulting fear of competition is the reason why the soon-to-be third largest (and most football obsessed) metro in the US will NEVER have a second NFL franchise... I’m offended FOR Jerry…and I completely dismiss this argument. I know Jerry. He’s not a coward."
Whether Chiefs supremo Clark Hunt will reverse a decision his father took more than fifty years ago remains to be seen.