Chicago Bears in conversations to build new stadium project in Chicago

Last month, the NFL Stadium Committee told the Chicago Bears that only the sites at Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana, were viable options for the team.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has been outspoken in recent weeks that the Bears need to remain in the city. He said he planned to use his political leverage to block the Illinois Senate from passing a megaprojects bill that would give the Bears approximately $850 million in infrastructure spending and property tax breaks for the Arlington Heights location.

The Bears wanted additional amendments added to the bill that passed the House in April. The Senate has been slow to move the bill forward in May.

Per the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Senior mayoral adviser Jason Lee suggested the idea that the Bears remain in the city is not dead. He claimed the Bears are having current conversations with the city to remain in Chicago, though he didn’t directly answer a question as to if the team told the city anything that would leave Johnson to believe Chicago was seriously in the mix to keep the Bears.

“I’ll keep that private but obviously, we’re having conversations all the time,” Lee said. “These are sensitive conversations… “All I can say is there’s been some conversations. I’ll keep it at that.

“They have to do what they’re doing, and we’ll do what we’re doing — and we’ll see where things end up. There’s a lot more shoes left to drop.”

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Lee described some of the issues the Bears face in Hammond, where the stadium would be built near the wetlands and a former industrial dump site. The Arlington Heights location would need legislation to provide property tax relief for local citizens, as well as a plan to build thousands of residential units amid other infrastructure needs.

Per the Sun-Times, a Bears spokesman reacted to Lee’s comments by reiterating that the only two viable stadium locations are at Arlington Heights and Hammond. The Bears expect to make a decision by early summer.

The league wants an answer as soon as possible, and would like an update before the NFL Spring League Meeting in Orlando on Tuesday. While the Bears might keep in talks with Chicago, there’s no reason to believe the team has a chance to remain at Soldier Field or build a new stadium in the city unless something drastic happens.

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