By DANIEL MATTHEWS, US SENIOR SPORTS WRITER
Published: 13:42 EST, 18 February 2026 | Updated: 13:43 EST, 18 February 2026
The Kansas City Chiefs should be evicted from Arrowhead Stadium and forced to play on a high school field, a local politician has claimed, as fury grows over the NFL team's decision to leave Missouri.
The Chiefs recently announced plans to leave their iconic home and move into a new, $3billion stadium across the border in Olathe, Kansas in 2031. They will also build a new headquarters and training facility in the Wyandotte County town.
The decision sparked outrage from some fans and now Missouri House Speaker Pro-Tem Chad Perkins has accused the team of abandoning the state despite being 'treated like a little princess.'
In recent years, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Co have built an NFL dynasty and turned Arrowhead into a sporting epicenter of America.
But Perkins believes local officials should kick the team out of the 76,000-capacity stadium, which has been home to the Chiefs since 1972.
'Arrowhead Stadium is not owned by the Chiefs, it is owned by the Jackson County Sports Authority,' Perkins told Missourinet.
The Chiefs recently revealed that they are set to leave Arrowhead for a new stadium in 2031
Missouri House Speaker Chad Perkins
'If I were the Jackson County Sports Authority, I'd tell him: get out right now. Just get your stuff and get out now. Go play football at a high school field in Overland Park.
'I don't care. Get out. And you can sue me and we can go to court, and I think a Missouri jury might just agree with me right now, right?'
The Chiefs claim their ambitious plans are slated to deliver more than 20,000 jobs to Kansas and will have an estimated economic impact of around $4.4b.
'The benefit to the entire region will be monumental,' a statement claimed, while Lieutenant Gov. David Toland called it 'the largest economic win in Kansas history.'
But Missouri officials revealed that the Chiefs turned down a stunning $1.5b offer to stay at Arrowhead, with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas calling the decision a 'setback as a Kansas Citian'.
And legendary tight end Kelce recently admitted that he has mixed feelings about swapping Arrowhead for the new stadium.
'The owners get so much more opportunity getting to the outskirts of the city, and it’s hard to argue with those opportunities,' Kelce said on a recent episode of New Heights.
'We’re dealing with it right now in Kansas City - I think it’s going to be unbelievable once it’s finally set in stone.
More details about the stadium itself are expected to be revealed later down the line but the Chiefs have insisted it will be a 'state-of-the-art domed stadium'
The new site will include mixed-use developments that could also see hotel, shopping and entertainment properties built
The ambitious project is slated to deliver over 20,000 jobs to Kansas and will have an estimated economic impact at around $4.4billion
'But it is going to be kind of heartbreaking knowing that the Chiefs are going to move away from Arrowhead and that Missouri side of Kansas City. It’s just a part of professional sports.'
Perkins has also sponsored a bill that would mean residents of Missouri could be prevented from owning Chiefs license plates in the future.
His proposal, filed after the Chiefs confirmed their move, is currently moving through the state legislature. It would, according to reports, end an emblem agreement between Missouri and the team, preventing 'any new Chiefs-branded plates from being issued.'
'If I've given you everything you ask and treated you like a little princess and you leave anyway, then maybe I need to take a different tactic,' Perkins explained, pointing out that license plates belong to the state of Missouri.
'But if you're going to leave and go to Kansas, then why are we giving out license plates for a business that's based in Kansas?'
Under the bill, Missourinet reports, license plates issued before the 2026 cutoff would still be valid until they expire or are surrendered.
MissouriKansas City Chiefs