The Minnesota Vikings really want a new football stadium, but they're pretty choosy about the site. Through all of these stadium talks, they've been adamant that the site at Arden Hills is their No. 1 choice, though Governor Mark Dayton has other plans. He wants the Vikings to choose the current site of the Metrodome to build a new stadium, which means the team would need to play at TCF Bank Stadium for three years or so while the new place is being built.
Not only do the Vikings not want to play there for three years due to upgrades it would need, along with lost revenue from not hosting the games themselves, but the economic development around the Metrodome is so limited. The Vikings are not one of the highest teams in the NFL in regards to money-making, and that's why the Arden Hills site is more their cup of tea: it offers a lot of surrounding area for potential development.
But, given the ad campaigns by the team, they want to appeal to the fans and the people of Minnesota, so they're struggling to seriously oppose the site at the Metrodome while not coming off like they're just a bunch of big complainers. In other words, the Vikings don't want to be blamed for their own stadium not being built. They don't want to scare the state into thinking they'll relocate by filing all the pertinent paperwork. And actually, it seems like they won't have to.
The NFL might just veto all of it, or more accurately, the various owners might. According to the Pioneer Press, there's not a lot of positive sentiment from the NFL owners about playing games at TCF Stadium. They call the place a gem, but also note that it is not an NFL stadium. All of this is totally moot if the NFL won't sign off on it.
Which means that the Arden Hills site, among others, may be reconsidered. It could also mean that things are delayed another year, which nobody wants, but if it gives the Vikings another look at something that they feel would ultimately be better for them and the NFL in general, then that's a definite good thing. Arden Hills was effectively eliminated from contention as a feasible site, but the NFL seems to be bringing it right back up.