CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson says he wants the Bears to stay in the City of Chicago and that he’s done everything he can to keep one of the NFL’s original franchises from leaving for the suburbs.
But now, the mayor says, it’s beyond his control.
Johnson addressed the latest Bears stadium news during his weekly media briefing Tuesday, four days after a spokesperson for his office revealed on Friday that Bears executive leadership told the mayor the franchise intends to prioritize the development of a site in northwest suburban Arlington Heights.
The Bears purchased the 326-acre Arlington Park site, the former home of Arlington International Racecourse, in February 2023 for $197.2 million. Even as Bears President Kevin Warren repeatedly said the team was prioritizing building a new stadium downtown along the lakefront — unveiling detailed renderings and plans for a proposed domed stadium just south of Soldier Field about 13 months ago — the Bears continued to own the property in Arlington Heights.
Now, with seemingly no statewide support on public funding for a downtown stadium, the Bears seem set — for now, at least — on proceeding in the northwest suburbs on property they own.
The path to move to Arlington Heights has become increasingly cleared in recent months, particularly when the Bears and village officials reached a “memorandum of understanding” in late November over a property tax dispute that had seemingly been blocking potential plans to develop the Arlington Park property.
But Johnson says the door is still open for the Bears to remain in Chicago long-term.
“There’s a long way to go still, and there’s ample evidence that my desire is for the Bears to stay in the City of Chicago,” the mayor said Tuesday. “There are certain things that are beyond my control.
“What they are looking for in terms of state support from a particular revenue source that is only designed to build stadiums, that’s something that the Bears have to continue to work hard to make that case. That’s been my position from the very beginning.”
Another potential new stadium site in Chicago, the former Michael Reese Hospital property in Bronzeville, has also been floated by developers.
When asked Tuesday if his administration is actively engaged in conversations with the Bears about a new stadium downtown along the lakefront, or in Bronzeville, the mayor said, “We have not closed the door on it.”
“My administration will always remain open to having conversations,” Johnson continued. “We had a conversation a week or so ago about the Bears not getting the support that they needed from the state of Illinois, and it has placed them in a position where they need to figure out how to move forward, but my door will never close to this.
“I want the Bears to stay in Chicago.”
Finally, asked if he’s reached out to state lawmakers about helping the Bears with public funding for a new stadium in the city, the mayor said he’s done what he can — now it’s up to the Bears.
He even used a football analogy.
“The door remains open, and there’s a long way to go still here, but I trust that the Bears are going to continue to have conversations with members of the General Assembly, as well as the governor, to make their case around how the state of Illinois can help support the collective effort to keep the Bears in Chicago,” Johnson said.
“I’ve done everything that I possibly could do. I’ve done my part. At this point, if the state of Illinois wants to keep the Bears in the City of Chicago … the ball is on their side of the field.”