Soon enough, the Chicago Bears won’t be playing in Chicago anymore.
The Bears reiterated in a statement released May 21 they are planning to leave the city as they look to build a new stadium in either Arlington Heights – an Illinois suburb located 25 miles Northwest of Chicago – or Hammond, Indiana.
“The Chicago Bears have exhausted every opportunity to stay in Chicago, which was our initial goal,” the team said in a statement obtained May 21 by the Associated Press. “There is not a viable site in the city. As a result, the only sites under consideration are in Arlington Heights and Hammond.”
The Bears have been primarily located in Chicago since 1921, when the Decatur Staleys relocated to the city. The franchise spent its early years playing at Wrigley Field – an arrangement that lasted through the 1970 season – before moving to Soldier Field.
The Bears have played at Soldier Field for all but one NFL season since 1971. The lone exception was the 2002 season, when the Bears played at the University of Illinois’ Memorial Stadium while Soldier Field underwent significant renovations.
The Bears do not own Soldier Field. The team leases the facility, which is owned and operated by the Chicago Park District.
Currently, the Bears are locked into a lease agreement through the 2033 NFL season. They can, however, exit the lease early if they are willing to pay a penalty – which would be about $90 million if the team did so in 2026, according to calculations performed by the Chicago Sun-Times in 2021.
It isn’t clear how much that penalty figure will drop if the Bears continue to play at Soldier Field until their new construction is complete.
It also isn’t yet clear exactly when the Bears will announce their choice for a new stadium location. Team president and CEO Kevin Warren provided a tentative timeline about a decision during the NFL’s owners meetings in March.
“We don’t have a set deadline, but I am confident that sometime this spring-slash-summer, we’ll know,” Warren told Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and Chris Simms. “I mean, we have to know because we will have completed the due diligence in Indiana and we’ll see what happens in Illinois.”
Warren is confident that Bears fans will be happy with the new stadium regardless of whether it ends up in Arlington Heights or in Hammond.
“Fortunately, both of those sites are great locations,” Warren said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bears plan to leave Chicago with stadium options in city ‘exhausted’