Chicago Bears team president and CEO Kevin Warren expressed optimism about an impending stadium decision one day after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that the Bears were on the clock.
“We’re in an excellent position,” Warren said Wednesday at the NFL’s league meetings. “I recently said that the target is to make sure that we have a decision made by springtime here soon. Late spring, early summer would be that from a target.”
Five years ago, the Bears started the process of building a new stadium when they purchased 326 acres of land in Arlington Heights, Illinois, a suburb located northwest of the city. But the process has been rocky due to public funding challenges and Indiana entered the picture with the promise of a domed stadium in Hammond, Ind., just 35 miles from Chicago.
The Arlington Heights site is also planned to be an indoor venue. Bears’ chairman George H. McCaskey is now targeting the 2029 season for the grand opening.
Soldier Field, the current home of the Bears, was originally built in 1924, by far the oldest venue in the NFL. The Bears moved from Wrigley Field in 1971, but the stadium has not kept up with modern amenities of newer venues. The stadium has the smallest capacity in the NFL at 61,500 and the Bears do not own it and therefore do not control parking, concessions and branding.
Moreover, a 2002 renovation has been viewed as a poorly-designed project.
Goodell addressed the stadium issue on Tuesday.
“They need to find a solution for a stadium,” Goodell said Tuesday at his NFL annual meeting news conference. “They have looked not only in Indiana but also in Illinois at other sites, and invested in a site. I think they have been responsible in that fact.
“I think it’s really important that they come to a resolution on this relatively soon. … This is an important time to get this resolved sooner rather than later.”
McCaskey is comfortable with either site, even if it means the team’s home games will no longer be played in Illinois.
“When the Bears moved from Wrigley Field to Soldier Field, it required an adjustment,” said McCaskey. “When we went to Champaign, it required an adjustment. And whether we go to Arlington Park or to Hammond, there is going to be an adjustment period. People are going to have to be allowed some time to get used to it. I think Bears fans are up to it.”
