Kevin Warren should have his game ball repossessed.
There’s a football season going on, and for once, the Bears are actually doing well. I know Warren, the team president/CEO, knows this, because I always see him in the post-victory locker room celebration videos, whether he’s getting game-ball recognition after a game he didn’t play or just basking in the reflected glow of Ben Johnson, the best thing that’s happened to this franchise in almost 20 years.
But there Warren was Wednesday, days before the Bears are set to play Green Bay in a massive game at Soldier Field, putting himself in the news and reminding everyone that he still hasn’t finalized the team’s plans for a new stadium, his one true job. The update: Now he’s bringing “The Region” into the chat.
“We need to expand our search and critically evaluate opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana,” he wrote in an open letter to fans published on the team’s website. “This 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.
“Our fans deserve a world-class stadium. Our players and coaches deserve a venue that matches the championship standard they strive for every day. With that in mind, our organization must keep every credible pathway open to deliver that future.”
I think there’s a typo in that quote. It should read, “This is not not about leverage.”
Here’s the thing. I don’t care if, when or where the Bears build a new stadium.
Move to Arlington Heights, build your Shangri-La in Northwest Indiana, declare eminent domain on Justin Ishbia’s lakeside estate in Winnetka, do nothing and stay at Soldier Field.
If I were advising Warren, I’d tell him this isn’t the time. But that doesn’t seem to be the organization’s PR strategy.
Remember the day before the Bears drafted Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick? Warren held a disastrous news conference for a new stadium in the city that was never going to be built.
“We’ll build restrooms,” Warren said that day. “We’ll make this a place that people want to come and spend time.”
Right before the 2025 season began and everyone was excited about Ben Johnson’s debut, there was more stadium posturing from Warren as he focused on getting help to build a dome in Arlington Heights.
Not much has happened since, and now, three days before the Bears host the Packers in the biggest game this franchise has played since the 2018 playoffs, here comes another open letter, an impatient warning shot to Illinois legislators who have so far ignored the team’s asks for help on that stadium project in Arlington Heights. If you thought it was cold last week, imagine how the team is feeling in Springfield.
I don’t disagree with part of the Bears’ assessment. It’s true that public dollars for a new stadium has not been a legislative priority.
That’s because giving public money to a professional sports franchise doesn’t crack the top 100 things the people of Illinois are asking for,… https://t.co/8zDlQS5vPk
— Rep.Kam Buckner ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ (@RepKamBuckner) December 18, 2025
This is why Warren is adding another state to the mix.
But if he was hoping to get the team’s rabidly online fan base on board, he miscalculated. Fans are just excited about the Bears playing the Packers on Saturday night with a possible playoff-clinching situation at stake. They are annoyed, at best, with this story. If he thought he could scare the state legislators or Gov. JB Pritzker, they didn’t seem too concerned. Pritzker, a likely candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in 2028, was busy tweeting about President Trump’s news conference. A spokesperson eventually addressed the matter.
Statement the Governor Pritzker spokesperson on Bears stadium announcement:
“Suggesting 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. The Governor’s a Bears fan…
— Paris Schutz (@paschutz) December 18, 2025
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, at least, was listening.
The Chicago Bears recognize Indiana’s pro-business climate, and I am ready to work with them to build a new stadium in Northwest Indiana.
This move would deliver a major economic boost, create jobs, and bring another premier NFL franchise to the Hoosier State. Let’s get it… https://t.co/bW72dSxS3p
— Governor Mike Braun (@GovBraun) December 18, 2025
It’s hard to take Warren seriously. After all, what happened to that momentum he was talking about in January? When I questioned him on it, he replied, essentially, just watch.
“When you say, ‘it doesn’t seem like that,’ we have stadium meetings every single day,” he said. “From a political standpoint, from a business standpoint, these things are massive projects. … I think that you’ll see, especially as we get into the spring and summer, you’ll start seeing some of this progress that I’m talking about now. I feel the momentum is really moving in the right direction, and from a stadium standpoint, we’re right exactly where I thought we would be.”
He added: “I remain steadfast that the goal we have is shovels in the ground in 2025. I’m confident it will happen.”
Well, it’s late December and Warren is the only one doing the shoveling around here.
New stadiums are, as we know from countless economic studies, not a sound investment for taxpayers, but some states will still offer to help because, well, they want to be friendly to big business. But good and bad politicians know which way the wind is blowing on this issue. You shouldn’t have to give public money to teams worth billions of dollars, even the Bears.
“We have not asked for state taxpayer dollars to build the stadium at Arlington Park,” Warren wrote. “We asked only for a commitment to essential local infrastructure (roads, utilities, and site improvements) which is more than typical for projects of this size. Additionally, we sought reasonable property tax certainty to secure financing. We listened to state leadership and relied on their direction and guidance, yet our efforts have been met with no legislative partnership.”
“We have not received that sense of urgency or appreciation to date,” he continued. “We have been told directly by State leadership, our project will not be a priority in 2026, despite the benefits it will bring to Illinois.”
I’ll allow that these aren’t huge asks, certainly not in the context of other stadium projects. But it sounds to me like the Bears need better lobbyists. Or maybe Warren, the guy in charge, shouldn’t have wasted so much time looking to stay in the city back when he hitched his wagon to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s star back in 2024.
While I support the idea of the Bears staying in Chicago, it’s long past time to face reality. The team already owns the property in Arlington Heights, and there’s plenty of space there. As anyone who has paid attention to the modern strategy of stadium construction knows, the whole point of these projects is also to build a “mixed-use development” adjacent to the stadium that generates revenue year-round.
Teams used to want to put stadiums in a Wrigleyville-type neighborhood in a city. Now, they look to the Atlanta Braves’ “The Battery” development in the suburbs. If you can’t lease out space to a Puttshack and a Shake Shack, what’s the point of owning a team?
That’s the plan for the Arlington Park racetrack property. And that’s what the Bears would do in Hammond, Ind., or wherever they threaten to move next.
I’m not really sure why most fans care about how nice their favorite team’s stadium is in the first place. Unless you’re wealthy enough to have a luxury suite or you own a construction company, why would you have much emotion invested in your team getting a new home? And frankly, if you get an enhanced sense of self-worth because your favorite team’s stadium has a nice concourse and uber-expensive club seats, seek help. I hear people gasping about hosting a Super Bowl and I wonder, are you going to pay $5,000 for a ticket? If you have season tickets, guess what, here comes an outlandish personal seat license demand.
Soldier Field isn’t great, but it’s also not some hellscape. It serves its purpose. I went to a game there as a fan last month and it was fine. Could it be better? Yes. Did the team and the park district screw up the renovations 20 years ago? Of course.
Back in the day, sports teams (especially in baseball) would tie a new stadium to improved finances to field a better team. And then teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins, among others, exposed that fallacy.
What’s important to remember here is that the Bears don’t need money to field a competitive team. Yes, they upped the ante significantly by paying Johnson a reported $13 million, and they’ll likely have to pay Williams a QB’s ransom soon enough, but they’re good for it.
The Bears, like all NFL teams, get more than $400 million a year for their media rights, and that number keeps going up. Tack on tickets, suites, sponsors and other local revenue, and they’re doing just fine. The Dallas Cowboys make a mint out in Jerry World, and how exactly has that worked out for the fans?
This Saturday night, the Bears will host the Packers at Soldier Field. That’s where the organization’s focus should be this week. Warren can wait a month to pitch a monorail from the Loop to a new stadium in Munster, Ind. Until then, just watch and actually enjoy the games.
