The Bears\u2019 sole focus for a new stadium is no longer Arlington Heights \u2014 and no longer Illinois. In the team\u2019s latest change of heart in a years-long quest for a new home, Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren sent a letter to fans saying the team will explore other locations for their planned new domed stadium \u2014 including northwest Indiana.<\/p>\n
Warren wrote that Arlington Heights remains \u201cthe best and only path forward in Cook County, given there are no other viable alternatives,\u201d and vowed to explore taking the team elsewhere. \u201cWe need to expand our search and critically evaluate opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana,\u201d Warren wrote. \u201cThis is not about leverage. We spent years trying to build a new home in Cook County. We invested significant time and resources evaluating multiple sites and rationally decided on Arlington Heights.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gov. JB Pritzker blasted Warren\u2019s thinly veiled threat to leave the state. \u201cSuggesting the Bears would move to Indiana is a startling slap in the face to all the beloved and loyal fans who have been rallying around the team during this strong season,\u201d a Pritzker spokesman said in a statement. \u201cThe Governor\u2019s a Bears fan who has always wanted them to stay in Chicago. He has also said that ultimately they are a private business that makes their own decisions, but the Governor has also been clear that the bottom line for any private business development should not come at the full expense of taxpayers.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2023, the Bears paid $197 million to buy the 326-acre former Arlington International Racetrack site, pitching a massive, $5 billion mixed-use development anchored by a 60,000-seat stadium. But the team has said it\u2019s not financially feasible without legislation allowing them to negotiate a discounted property tax rate in Arlington Heights \u2014 and state lawmakers have shown zero willingness to throw any blocks on their path out of Soldier Field.<\/p>\n
Stymied in Springfield, the Bears have publicly shifted their stadium focus several times among sites on the lakefront, in Arlington Heights and the ambiguous field of suburban possibilities that the team is hinting at once again. The Illinois General Assembly\u2019s fall veto session closed in October without consideration of the so-called megadevelopment legislation the team seeks \u2014 not even after the Bears told lawmakers they\u2019d commit to sending $25 million to the city of Chicago to rebuild or improve public parks and playing fields if they skip town.<\/p>\n
Warren wrote that the Bears \u201chave been told directly by state leadership, our project will not be a priority in 2026.\u201d With construction costs rising, Bears sources told the Sun-Times last month that the lack of progress in Springfield might force them to consider looking at stadium sites outside Cook County. A host of other municipalities have publicly courted the Bears, including Naperville, Waukegan, Aurora, Richton Park and Country Club Hills.<\/p>\n
Bears rendering of their proposed Arlington Heights stadium.<\/p>\n
The Bears have committed to investing more than $2 billion into the stadium wherever it goes, while touting flowery economic projections for the region. Pritzker and other Democratic legislative leaders who pull the levers in Springfield have suggested the team needs to find a mechanism to pay off the $500 million-plus that taxpayers still have left to foot from Soldier Field\u2019s 2003 renovation. \u201cWe listened to state leadership and relied on their direction and guidance, yet our efforts have been met with no legislative partnership,\u201d Warren wrote.<\/p>\n
The Bears’ search for a new stadium continues, with the team exploring options outside of Arlington Heights and Illinois. The team’s lease at Soldier Field runs through 2033, though they could break it early. As the team weighs its options, fans and lawmakers alike will be watching closely to see what the future holds for the Bears.<\/p>\n
Q: What is the current status of the Bears’ stadium search?
\nA: The Bears are exploring options outside of Arlington Heights and Illinois, including northwest Indiana.
\nQ: What is the proposed cost of the new stadium?
\nA: The proposed cost of the new stadium is $5 billion.
\nQ: How much has the team committed to investing in the stadium?
\nA: The team has committed to investing more than $2 billion into the stadium.
\nQ: What is the current lease situation at Soldier Field?
\nA: The Bears’ lease at Soldier Field runs through 2033, though they could break it early.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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