September 5, 2024

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Happy NFL Kickoff! The Chiefs are trying to pull off the first Super Bowl three-peat. They’re also taking financial advantage of the incredible position they’re in as a franchise.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]] and Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Relocation? Contracts? Chiefs Tackle Distractions in Quest for Three-Peat [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

As the Chiefs embark on the historic opportunity to become the first NFL team to win three consecutive Super Bowls, it’s taking a true franchise-wide effort to block the outside noise and accomplish the goal at hand.

“Our job is to eliminate those distractions from the football team,” Mark Donovan, who leads Kansas City’s business efforts as team president, tells Front Office Sports. But it’s not always that simple. “You can’t ignore it,” Donovan says of three-peat talk. “So, we have been pretty aggressive and strategic on: How can we utilize this opportunity?”

Before accepting any off-field opportunity—another sponsor, media partner, etc.—the Chiefs evaluate whether it will attract the right attention. “You can imagine the opportunities that have come across our desk since last year are significant,” Donovan says. “And you’ve got to take a measured approach to that. We’ve got to take advantage of the right ones. We’ve gotta execute them the right way. But we also have to turn down a lot.”

Home Sweet Home

Another potential distraction the Chiefs dealt with over the offseason was a sticky stadium situation. The franchise is keeping its options open after voters in Jackson County, Mo., nixed a proposed sales tax measure [[link removed]] to fund Arrowhead Stadium renovations. Since then, Kansas officials have tried to lure the NFL team [[link removed]] across the state line.

While there’s no deadline in place to solidify a stadium plan, Donovan admits the Chiefs’ lease expiring in early 2031 makes things tight. “We’re going to need a place to play that next season,” he says. “If you do that timeline: If you’re renovating the stadium, it’s four or five years. If you’re building a new stadium with infrastructure, new site, and everything else, it’s probably five or six years.”

Conversations are continuing, evidenced by the Chiefs’ annual kickoff luncheon last week being attended by governors from both Missouri and Kansas for the first time.

Cash Flow

Chiefs owner Clark Hunt has said his franchise—which Forbes ranked as the 24th-most-valuable [[link removed]] in the NFL at $4.85 billion—isn’t thinking about adding a private equity investor right now. But that could change down the road, as ownership groups across the league look for more liquidity and flexibility.

“Certain clubs are going to look at it as a way to help finance their investment, whether it’s a stadium or something else,” Donovan says of the NFL’s new private equity policy [[link removed]]. “And it’s something that we will look at in the future.”

International Flair

Last season, the Chiefs played in the NFL’s first game in Frankfurt, Germany. Donovan says Kansas City would love to go back abroad, if given the chance. “One of the challenges with playing again in Germany is a lot of teams have seen the success that we and other franchises have had, and everybody’s getting in line to play,” he says.

The Chiefs rank near the top of the league in revenue generated from international sponsors, per Donovan, boosted by several multi-year corporate deals with German brands.

Whether it’s in Europe, Kansas City, or anywhere else, the Chiefs are embracing the spotlight as two-time defending Super Bowl champions. “Everybody talks about the stress and the pressure of being in a position like this,” Donovan says. “We look at it—and I know this team looks at it—differently. They look at it as: We worked really hard to be in this position, let’s go take advantage of it.”

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Inside the Chiefs Front Office

FOS illustration

You can listen to even more of Chiefs president Mark Donovan’s conversation with Front Office Sports newsletter writer David Rumsey. The two spoke about life inside one of the NFL’s most intriguing teams, as the two-time defending-champions kick off the NFL season amid great expectations, rumors of relocation, and a tight end who is half of one of America’s most famous couples.

Plus, Colorado football coach Deion Sanders and Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark continue to have huge effects on TV ratings, and an NFL executive was suspended over controversial statements made to a contentious source.

Watch, listen, and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Spotify [[link removed]], and YouTube [[link removed]].

SPONSORED BY CHAMPS SPORTS

Put Comfort First With Nike Tech

Champs Sports [[link removed]] is the place for all things sport style, offering a wide, curated selection of head-to-toe looks. What’s more, there’s no better place to find the latest apparel from Nike, such as the brand’s newest Nike Tech collection.

The perfect blend of form and function—featuring premium, smooth-on-both-sides fleece as well as lightweight construction—the Nike Tech collection is comprised of two wardrobe staples: The Full-Zip Windrunner Hoodie and a matching pair of joggers. Whether you’re starting the day or settling in for the night, these styles always put comfort first.

Cozy up with the new Nike Tech collection [[link removed]], available now at Champs Sports [[link removed]].

NFL Teams Eye Billion-Dollar Homes, but There’s Plenty of Pushback [[link removed]]

Cleveland Browns/HKS

The NFL is a television-driven league [[link removed]], with the largest individual chunk of its revenue deriving from domestic media deals generating roughly $12 billion annually. But the league’s in-person presence is taking on a new level of prominence as a growing group of teams push for new or renovated facilities.

New stadiums are under construction in Tennessee and Buffalo, funding deals were approved this past offseason in Jacksonville and Charlotte [[link removed]], and a three-year renovation plan recently began in Baltimore [[link removed]]. But at least four other NFL teams are pushing to solidify their own venue futures, marking one of the largest collections of unsettled situations in this area in the last generation. Among the current issues:

Chicago: A proposed $4.7 billion lakefront stadium is already facing significant pushback [[link removed]], including from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Further progress before 2025 is unlikely as Pritzker said it would be “near impossible” for the team to get an agreement through the state legislature this fall. Cleveland: After weighing options between renovating the current downtown stadium and building a new $2.4 billion domed stadium near the airport, the Browns recently chose the latter. Like in Chicago, resistance to the plan [[link removed]] has mounted quickly. But the team received a recent boost in a 20-year stadium naming rights deal with Huntington Bank that will carry over to a new facility, should one be built. Kansas City: The two-time defending Super Bowl champions are in a highly enviable position, with local affinity for the team extremely strong and political leaders in both Missouri and Kansas jockeying to be the team’s long-term home [[link removed]]. Chiefs owner Clark Hunt says he wants to take until January 2025 to evaluate stadium options before making a decision. Washington: The Commanders are looking at 2030 as the earliest date to build a new stadium [[link removed]], with the site of the team’s prior home, RFK Stadium, a potential option along with rival overtures from Maryland and Virginia. The team’s push to build a new venue has already been a years-long slog, but the Commanders and owner Josh Harris have the unique element of two states and the District of Columbia competing against each other.

“We’re working super hard. I mean it’s taking up a lot of my own mind space to find our next home,” Harris said recently regarding the Commanders’ stadium site search. “We have conversations going with multiple jurisdictions. … As you peel the onion, things get more and more detailed, more and more advanced.”

EVENT

Front Office Sports’ inaugural Tuned In sports media summit will come to life Sept. 10 as a one-day event in New York City. Led in part by senior media reporter Mike McCarthy, this event will feature intimate discussions with leaders from ESPN, NBC, YouTube, Roku, and more.

Register now [[link removed]].

LOUD AND CLEAR Pack Your Bags

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

“We think we’ll be at seven next year.”

—NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, on the number of international regular-season games the league will play in 2025. This season’s schedule includes five games outside the U.S.—tied for the record from the previous two seasons—including Friday’s debut matchup in Brazil between the Packers and Eagles.

The NFL has already planned to play a game in Spain in 2025. Speaking Wednesday on The Pat McAfee Show, Goodell said he hopes the NFL will return to Mexico [[link removed]] next season, and that Ireland is “definitely on the watchlist.” In December, NFL owners voted to approve playing up to eight international games each season [[link removed]], beginning in 2025, but that may not last for long. “We have expectations that we’ll go well beyond that,” Goodell said.

ONE BIG FIG Place Your Bets

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

$35 billion

The estimated amount that U.S. adults will wager on NFL games with legal sportsbooks throughout the 2024 season, according to projections from the American Gaming Association. That would be up 31% from the $26.7 billion that the AGA estimates was legally bet on the NFL during the 2023 season. Three states have launched legalized sports gambling in the last 12 months: Maine, North Carolina, and Vermont.

SPONSORED BY CHAMPS SPORTS

Live in Comfort With Nike Tech

Champs Sports [[link removed]] is all about Sport for Life. It offers a curated lineup that’s ready for all of life’s moments. And if you’re searching for sport style that brings out your best for each one, look no further than the newest Nike Tech collection.

Featuring updated versions of two Swoosh classics—the Full-Zip Windrunner Hoodie and matching jogger—Nike’s latest Nike Tech collection is all you need to live in comfort.

Get comfortable with the new Nike Tech collection [[link removed]], available now at Champs Sports [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters This weekend, UCF’s football team will wear helmet decals designed by patients from the Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital. Check it out [[link removed]]. Blenders Eyewear is benefiting in a big way from its sponsorship of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders. Take a look [[link removed]]. Florida started the college football season with a 41-17 loss to Miami. It would cost the Gators $28.3 million [[link removed]] to fire head coach Billy Napier Editors’ Picks Commanders Suspend Executive Over Secret Recordings From Far-Right Activist [[link removed]]by Dennis Young [[link removed]] and A.J. Perez [[link removed]]The man behind the video has a history of doctoring recordings. Exclusive: Scott Hanson Free Agent in 2025, Could Leave NFL RedZone [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]Scott Hanson has hosted every edition of NFL RedZone. His contract is almost up. Under Armour Sells MapMyFitness Back to Founders 11 Years Later [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The founders sold the tracking app to the apparel giant in 2013. Question of the Day

Do you think the Chiefs will win a third consecutive Super Bowl?

YES [[link removed]] NO [[link removed]]

Wednesday’s result: Only 16% of respondents believe Diamond Sports Group will still carry local broadcasts for its current 12 MLB team partners in 2025?

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]] Edited by Or Moyal [[link removed]], Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]]

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