Chicago Bears officials, NFL commissioner visit potential new stadium sites: source
Chicago Bears officials, NFL commissioner visit potential new stadium sites: source
Over the weekend, top officials from the Chicago Bears and the NFL toured different potential sites for the new stadium that the team has been pushing for.
CHICAGO - Over the weekend, top officials from the Chicago Bears and the NFL toured various potential sites for the new stadium that the team has been seeking.
This comes as the team has reopened its search for locations to build a new stadium, even outside of Illinois.
What we know:
A source close to the stadium negotiations confirmed to Fox Chicago that Bears President Kevin Warren, Chairman George McCaskey and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell visited the sites, and were photographed by Arlington Heights resident Greg Berger.
Berger said he was at the Metra station near the Arlington Park, property that the Bears own, to drop off his child who was headed to the Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday.
"I’m like ‘Whoa, that’s George McCaskey. That’s crazy!’" Berger said. "Then I spot Kevin Warren, and he’s got the orange tie, and I’m like, that’s Kevin Warren. He’s always sporting the orange tie. Then, all of a sudden, my jaw totally dropped when I saw Roger Goodell. That’s when I was like what is even happening right now? This is bizarre."
Top Bears and NFL officials were spotted touring potential new stadium sites over the weekend amid the team's playoff push. (Courtesy Greg Berger)
Sources said Goodell also toured sites in Northwest Indiana as lawmakers there were working on a potential package of incentives to lure the Bears across state lines. Three weeks ago, the Times of Northwest Indiana reported that Bears representatives were conducting site testing on plots of land in Hammond. Potential sites in Indiana include just over the border near Wolf Lake and near the Hard Rock Casino in Gary.
Sports stadium consultant Marc Ganis said he expects Indiana to roll out the red carpet for the Bears.
"I think what we’re gonna see coming from Indiana is going to be so significant in terms of public money going into the stadium," he said.
Sources close to the Bears said they’re looking to see if Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Braun mentions the potential stadium deal during his "State of the State" address on Wednesday. Braun has been publicly supportive of efforts to this point.
This latest development comes as the Bears have thus far failed to secure help from Illinois state lawmakers on funding or property tax benefits the team has said are necessary to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights.
The backstory:
The Bears first purchased the Arlington Park property in 2023 with hopes of building a new domed stadium there.
After a back-and-forth on plans to build a new stadium on Chicago’s lakefront, which fell apart, the team said it was focused on the Arlington Heights site.
The team pledged to not use taxpayer money on the construction of the actual stadium, but still said it needed public funds for infrastructure improvements around the site. The Bears tried to lobby state lawmakers to pass a bill that would allow the team to negotiate its property tax bills with local taxing bodies.
"This deal that’s being offered in Arlington Heights is really very one-sided for the benefit of the taxpayers, and very one-sided as compared to, say, the Chiefs in Kansas, Cleveland Browns in suburban Cleveland."
But state lawmakers last year said they were not focused on helping the Bears, as they were more focused on tackling an overhaul of the Chicago region’s transit system. Just this month, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch called discussions of helping the Bears on a new stadium "insensitive" as lawmakers needed to focus on addressing the rising cost of living for residents.