As Chiefs Consider Stadium PSLs, a Peek at Other Cities

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Drive south on Stateline Road in the Kansas City area and you’ll encounter a few thought-provoking arrangements.

Houses on the right side of the street are in Kansas. Their neighbors are only a Patrick Mahomes throw across the road in Missouri, with a different tax structure and government.

Also, despite sitting on opposite sides of the street only a short drive from one another, Rockhurst High School and Shawnee Mission East have met in football only twice since 1982. They play under different state associations.

footbal — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and Kansas City Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt shake hands inside the Robert B. Docking State Office Building on Monday, Dec. 22. | Liam Keating/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Here’s another thought-provoking arrangement: In a few years, when the Kansas City Chiefs move their headquarters across that street and build a $3 billion domed stadium in Kansas, personal seat licenses (PSL) are a virtual certainty.

But how the Chiefs creatively structure PSLs is one of many questions at the forefront of fans’ minds, and also one of countless decisions the team needs to make before the stadium opens in 2031.

new highmar — Construction continues on the bottom seating bowl at the Buffalo Bills new stadium, across the street from their current home at Highmark Stadium, in Orchard Park, NY Thursday, July 10, 2025. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

PSLs generally provide fans the right to purchase season tickets to a specific seat, and in many cases help the team pay for its share of stadium construction. The 60-40 split the State of Kansas and the Chiefs announced Monday means a $3 billion stadium would leave the team on the hook for $1.2 billion.

At least 21 NFL teams have employed some sort of PSL over the last 30 years. The Dallas Cowboys are believed to be the first team to tie advance fees to purchasing rights, but they did it through a bond system. Those who purchased construction bonds to help fund Texas Stadium construction in Irving were in turn given rights to purchase season tickets in the new facility.

Carolina was the first NFL team to incorporate the modern PSL structure, to build its new stadium that opened in 1996 (five years before Bryce Young was born). And in a copycat league, many teams followed. Today, variations of PSLs include mechanisms called Charter Ownership Agreements, Charter Seat Licenses and Stadium Builder Licenses.

Here’s a look at the structures implemented by the NFL’s next two stadiums in the queue, each of which the Chiefs have seen up close on personal tours over the last two months.

New Highmark Stadium, Buffalo Bills (2026)

The Chiefs have gotten a timelapse view of Buffalo’s new venue because, amazingly, they’ve made trips to play the Bills in three consecutive seasons, including the 2023 playoffs. They’re also guaranteed another trip there in 2026, to play in the new facility.

Bills fans apparently used PSLs as stocking stuffers because the team announced the day after Christmas it had sold out its PSL inventory. According to the Buffalo News, 75 percent of current season-ticket holders will move from the old stadium to the new. Legends Global, which has assisted six NFL teams on selling PSLs since 2009, said that’s the highest percentage of season-ticket holders it’s had.

pete guell — Pete Guelli, executive vice president and chief operating officer with the Buffalo Bills, walks around the side lines at the Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford on July 24, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A closer look at the Bills’ PSL structure:

Prices range from $2,000 to $50,000 per seat, with the highest prices pegged for the 6,162 club seats on the 50-yard line. The News also reported that the 1,755 suite and loge inventory – which did not require a PSL -- sold out for next season. The full PSL menu includes 12 options, and keep in mind that large sections of the stadium required no PSL.

New Nissan Stadium, Tennessee Titans (2027)

A week ago, Clark Hunt, Mark Donovan and a few team executives toured construction of the new venue before the Chiefs played the Titans. And like the new building towering over the old in Nashville, the new Kansas dome will have a capacity about 10,000 less than the current home, Arrowhead Stadium.

Also, like the Bills, the Titans have reportedly seen encouraging PSL sales. Unlike the Bills, the Titans have played some lousy football over the last three years, hurdling toward a third consecutive last-place finish – although they played their best 2025 game in a 26-9 win over the Chiefs last week.

It’s a strong message that, regardless of location or team performance, if teams and municipalities build new stadiums, fans will come – and pay.

new nissan stadium — The new Nissan Stadium rises above the older version prior to the Kansas City Chiefs' visit on Dec. 21, 2025. | Zak Gilbert

A closer look at the Titans’ PSL structure:

Premium seats reportedly carry a $75,000 PSL, and those sections sold out quickly last summer, according to longtime Titans writer Paul Kuharsky. In the upper levels, PSLs range from $750 to $4,500 depending on section.

The team is being aggressive in an exciting way, inviting fans to what it calls the Titans House. Future customers get an alluring glimpse of the fan experience at the new stadium, an impressive presentation according to those who’ve attended. PSLs are only sold at these interpersonal meetings.

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