Amid rumors about the Chicago Bears potentially moving from Soldier Field to Arlington Heights, Bears President and CEO Ted Phillips confirmed that the organization has submitted a bid to purchase Arlington International Racecourse, where they would presumably build a new stadium. After all, they wouldn’t have submitted a bid unless they were actually considering making a move.
“We recently submitted a bid to purchase the Arlington International Racecourse property,” Phillips said in a statement Thursday. “It’s our obligation to explore every possible option to ensure we’re doing what’s best for our organization and its future. If selected, this step allows us to further evaluate the property and its potential.”
Statement from Chicago Bears President & CEO Ted Phillips: pic.twitter.com/5ACDDtccWU
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) June 17, 2021
Earlier this week, Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes said a new stadium for the Bears could be built on the current site of the Arlington racecourse.
“It’s still on the table, to my understanding, but it’s a complete, definite ‘maybe,’” Hayes said, via the Daily Herald. “I’m not in a position where I could say it’s a definite ‘go’ or definite ‘no go.’”
The Bears’ lease at Soldier Field runs through 2033, and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot doesn’t see the team moving before the lease is up.
“A couple of data points that I think you should be aware of are the Bears have a lease with Soldier Field until 2033, and the NFL doesn’t let any teams break their leases,” Lightfoot said Thursday. “I was just on a call with [Bears] senior leadership in the last two weeks. So there are things that they’d like to see differently at Soldier Field, and we want to do whatever we can to accommodate it. It’s a great iconic site, but it’s a challenging site.”
