Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson is once again lobbying for another NFL team in the North Texas area, this time calling for the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs to move to Dallas.
The mayor’s urging stems from a failed sales tax proposal in Missouri that would have helped pay for stadium renovations for the Chiefs and the MLB’s Kansas City Royals.
After the news broke that the vote had failed, Mayor Johnson reposted an NBC Sports article on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying, “Welcome home Dallas Texans!” while seemingly suggesting the Chiefs move into the legendary Cotton Bowl Stadium in Fair Park, where pro football in Dallas began.
In an interview with 570 AM KLIF on Thursday, he also added that South Dallas’ Hensley Field could be another potential stadium site.
“That is a 700-acre wholly owned site that is breathtakingly beautiful,” the mayor said. “And I would argue that you could put together a deal with Hensley Field and the Chiefs that would blow out of the water anything that I’ve seen in the NFL, including Jerry world, and including the Star.”
While the Chiefs are not likely to move, they would make the most sense out of any team to relocate to Dallas. After all, the franchise was founded in Dallas as the Dallas Texans in the 1960s, and the Hunt family, which owns the team, still has ties to the Dallas area, including SMU and FC Dallas.
The Chiefs moved from Dallas to Kansas City in May of 1963, leaving the Dallas Cowboys as the only NFL team in North Texas since. However, Mayor Johnson has been saying for some time that he wants to bring another NFL franchise to Dallas, specifically in the city limits.
“Dallas was named the top sports city in the United States because we play to win,” Johnson told The Dallas Morning News, “As I have said previously, our market is big enough, growing enough, and loves football more than enough to support a second NFL team — especially a franchise (and an owner) with deep roots here.”
According to D Magazine, a new theory about the potential of a second NFL team in Dallas has emerged, as the Dallas City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Professional Sports Recruitment and Retention and the Council Economic Development Committee recently met to discuss something only known as “Project X.”
While initially thought to involve the prospects of a future new home for the Dallas Mavericks, the magazine points out that the timing of the mayor’s tweet is interesting and mentions the existence of a previous “Project X” that featured renderings of a football stadium in downtown Dallas. Mark Donovan, the president of the Chiefs, has also previously threatened to move the team if they did not receive the assistance needed from the sales tax.
“We respect the process. We respect the decision of the Jackson County voters,” Donovan said on Tuesday, according to NBC Sports. “We’re disappointed. We feel we put forth the best offer for Jackson County. We were ready to extend the longstanding partnership that the teams have enjoyed with this county. This is important. … We will do and look to do what is in the best interest of our fans and our organization as we move forward.”
It’s all speculation at this point, but the mayor has undoubtedly made his wishes known. If the Chiefs decide to leave Kansas City, Dallas will certainly be offered as a new home.
