Kevin Warren, CEO and President of the Chicago Bears, recently joined NBC's Peter King's podcast to discuss the Bears and their stadium endeavors.
Recently, the Bears encountered a fork in the road with Arlington Heights, the 326-acre property they purchased in February for just under $200 million. When asked about the location of the stadium, Warren was clear about the Bears' current stance.
"Everything is on the table," Warren told King. "We had that period where we were focused on Arlington. We have some issues to work on. There's a possibility there. But one of the things I promised myself and promised the McCaskeys is that I would come in and take a fresh look at what's the right thing to do. And if it turns out to be Arlington, it turns out to be Arlington.
"If it's in downtown Chicago ..."
Warren didn't finish that last sentence. But his conversation with King focused on Chicago. Warren was very complimentary of Soldier Field, the lakefront location, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, too.
"God really kissed downtown Chicago with that lakefront," Warren said. "I don't think there's any place in the country that has that beauty of a city right upon a beautiful lake in Lake Michigan."
The Bears recently reopened their search for a stadium location after they got tangled up with Arlington Heights on property valuations, as it relates to annual tax payments. The school districts of Arlington Heights deemed the property worth what the Bears paid for it: $197.2 million.
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That valuation bills Churchill Down Inc., the responsible party for this year's tax bill, $16 million. But the Bears don't see it that way. The Bears want that number to be closer to $4 million.
Warren mentioned they have a "fall veto" meeting coming on the subject. Should the two sides not agree, the Bears will look elsewhere for their stadium location. Naperville, Waukegan and Aurora are municipalities that have expressed their interest in hosting the Bears stadium endeavors.
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Warren and Johnson have also released two joint statements. Neither mentions the stadium but shows the Bears have a relationship with the city of Chicago. Both are keenly aware of the situation at hand.
So, when will Bears fans know where the stadium will be?
"I'm hopeful that (decision comes) within the next 12 months," Warren said. "I always go by when a shovel goes in the ground. I believe once a shovel goes in the ground, it's probably three years."
The decision for the Bears to move off Soldier Field is a significant one.
The Bears have played at Soldier Field since 1971, over 50 years. That's not counting the Chicago Cardinals playing charity games at Soldier Field in the 1920s, either. A move out of Chicago's iconic downtown location would be ground-breaking.
For that reason, the Bears, and Warren, aren't taking the team's potential move lightly.
"This is a 40 to 50-year decision ..." Warren said. "I want to be very thoughtful. What's the right thing for our fans? What's the right location?"
