Bears say they have ‘exhausted every opportunity to stay in Chicago’ despite mayor saying meetings held on new lakefront stadium
CHICAGO (WLS) — The Chicago Bears had recent meetings with Chicago’s Corporation Counsel regarding the terms for a new lakefront stadium, a spokesperson for Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Office said.
However, the NFL team put out a statement Thursday afternoon, saying “The Chicago Bears have exhausted every opportunity to stay in Chicago, which was our initial goal. There is not a viable site in the city. As a result, the only sites under consideration are in Arlington Heights and Hammond.”
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Mayor Johnson has been pushing for the Bears to consider staying in Chicago, clashing with Governor JB Pritzker, who favors helping the Bears move to Arlington Heights rather than losing them to Hammond, Indiana.
The Bears issued another statement in response to the mayor’s office earlier Thursday, saying, “Any meetings between the City of Chicago and the Chicago Bears were limited to counsel-to-counsel engagement. There were no conversations with team management. Such exchanges are subject to heightened confidentiality and routinely encompass a wide range of matters related to the Chicago Bears’ tenancy at Soldier Field.
“Consistent with longstanding practice, these discussions covered a variety of topics and will remain confidential. No substantive changes resulted. There are only two sites under consideration, Arlington Heights and Hammond.”
This comes as Illinois’ megaprojects bill, which could pave the way for an Arlington Heights stadium, is still in limbo. Lawmakers in Springfield have just a week left to pass it.
The lead negotiator in the Illinois Senate, Senator Bill Cunningham, says they were told those discussions were about the Bears existing lease at Soldier Field, which runs through 2033.
“During the course of that investigation, they shifted to hypothetical discussions about what might happen if the Arlington Heights site does not get improved, and those hypothetical discussions included reconsidering a site on the lakefront,” Sen. Cunningham said.
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Mayor Johnson dismissed the proposed stadium site in Hammond Indiana as unviable, and he said there is no plan in place for Arlington Heights. He remains eternally hopeful for Chicago.
“My hope has never been lost,” Johnson said. “That’s why I have maintained my position that Chicago is the best location for the Bears. The Bears believe that as well.”
Another complication for the Bears involves the teams failure to provide a traffic impact study for the area around the Arlington Heights property, which lawmakers need before they can vote on infrastructure funding estimated to be around $850 million.
“We’re going to continue to work through these obstacles, but the Bears are going to have to step up their efforts in the legislature, working with senators and representatives, if they want to see the bill passed,” Cunningham said.
Senator Cunningham suggested that if the Bears don’t move quickly, this legislative session could end on May 31 without a package to help the Bears.
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