The Chicago Bears made adjustments to their push for a new stadium over the past month. Team president Kevin Warren was benched, while longtime part-owner Pat Ryan has stepped in to take over negotiations with the state of Illinois. Almost immediately, there has been serious progress. Enough that many feel a deal could be struck during the fall legislative session in Springfield next month. Lost amidst this sudden shift in fortunes is the unusual report that Ryan was joined by none other than NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
This is somewhat puzzling. While Goodell likes to keep himself apprised of stadium matters across all NFL teams, this might be the first time he’s ever stepped in personally. Most assume it’s merely because the process is taking too long and he wants to help speed things up. Yet that alone doesn’t feel like enough of an incentive to take direct action. Dan Bernstein of 312 Sports believes he’s found the real reasons.
According to what he’s hearing, the league wants the Bears to stay in Illinois. It hopes to begin construction of the stadium in Arlington Heights and complete it by 2031. Why? The endgame is for Chicago to host its first-ever Super Bowl by 2033.
The Chicago Bears offer the NFL a pathway to more money.
One forgotten fact about the Super Bowl is that it really can’t be played in most of the country’s largest markets. Both New York and Chicago feature outdoor stadiums, which are inhospitable in February. That is why the league is forced to rely more on places like Los Angeles, Phoenix, and New Orleans. However, that changes once the Bears build their new stadium. It would be a domed complex, meaning weather wouldn’t be a factor. The city itself is already a popular tourist destination, which is sure to bring in plenty of revenue.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
There is also the desire to showcase state-of-the-art stadiums. Teams often install several luxury suites, which cost a pretty penny and are meant to draw wealthier fans to the game. The league would love opportunities to branch out from the usual rotation of stadiums to someplace new. Bringing a Super Bowl to Chicago, one of the founding cities of football, would be a great selling point. People would love to attend just to say they were the first to see the big game in the Windy City.
There is one wrinkle worth noting.
How much will the city itself try to hijack the situation? If the legislation follows the blueprint from the spring, it means municipalities with 70,000 people or more will be allowed to pitch the Chicago Bears on building their stadium there. It’s well known that power brokers in the city have been making pitches to keep the team downtown. The latest is an idea of building it where Guaranteed Rate Field currently sits. The White Sox plan on moving to the South Loop. It opens up an opportunity to refresh that land into something new.
Ultimately, it comes down to whatever gets the stadium built faster. The NFL wants to get things moving right now. It wouldn’t be shocking if they leaned on Bears owner George McCaskey to remove Warren from negotiations and allow the far more experienced Ryan to take over. It certainly had the desired effect. Based on how things are going, a deal could happen by the end of November.
