Deal To Keep Bears In IL 'Close' Say Lawmakers: Reports

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — While neighboring Indiana continues its aggressive pursuit to lure the Chicago Bears out of Illinois, state lawmakers and Gov. JB Pritzker hinted this week that negotiations to keep the team here are advancing.

"There are a lot of ongoing conversations with the Bears, and indeed, frankly, progress has been made," Pritzker said Monday following a news conference regarding the Sales Tax and Revenue bond program in Belleville. "I'm pleased about that, but I'm going to let the Bears talk about what it is that they want to get done, and how they want to get it done."

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Meanwhile, people familiar with discussions over moving the team to Arlington Heights and the vacant former Arlington International Racecourse site, have indicated a deal is "close." CBS News Chicago, along with other media outlets, is reporting state lawmakers, village leaders, Pritzker and the Bears have been meeting multiple times a week to talk about building a new stadium in the northwest suburbs since December.

"I'm obviously involved in negotiations, and so is my entire team, as well as members of the legislature," Pritzker said in confirming the reports.

In February 2023, the Bears closed on a $197.2 million property agreement to buy the 326-acre property that housed the former racetrack.

Last month, Arlington Heights officials held a "Keep the Bears in Illinois" press conference at Village Hall, urging lawmakers to pass a "mega projects bill" that would allow large-scale development projects to move forward throughout Illinois, including the Chicago Bears' project at Arlington Park.

"We urge the Illinois General Assembly to pass the Mega Projects Bill this legislative session," Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia said in a Jan. 16 letter addressed to Illinois lawmakers. "It is a common-sense approach that brings stability, transparency, and long-term benefits for residents, taxpayers, municipalities, and developers alike."

The mayor said the Bears plan to invest their own funds to build the new $5 billion stadium and mixed-use entertainment district in Arlington Heights, which would make it the largest private development project in the history of Illinois. Once completed, the development is projected to generate about $10.9 billion in one-time economic activity, $1.3 billion in annual net new economic activity for Illinois, and nearly $2 billion in new tax revenue over 40 years for local, county, and state governments, according to Tinaglia.

Meanwhile, since the end of last year, lawmakers in Indiana, including Gov. Mike Braun, have ramped up efforts to have the Bears build a new home in "The Hoosier State." In January, the Indiana Senate approved legislation to fund a potential stadium in the northwest portion of the state. In addition, the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority was created to finance and build an NFL stadium financed with state funds, reports CBS News Chicago.

"If we do not give private developers the opportunity to negotiate a more reasonable yearly property tax rate here in Illinois, we simply will not see these types of once-in-a-generation projects. We cannot fumble this opportunity," Tinaglia said regarding Indiana's pursuit of the team.

Soldier Field, the team's current home, is the NFL's oldest stadium having been built in 1924. The Bears began playing there in 1971 after leaving Wrigley Field. It has a football game capacity of 61,500 fans, which is the smallest in the NFL. The Bears' lease at Soldier Field expires in 2033.

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