(670 The Score) The Bears formally placed a bid to purchase the property occupied by Arlington International Racecourse, the team announced Thursday afternoon.
Arlington Park, which is run by Churchill Downs Inc., is currently for sale and is expected to be demolished by its next owner. The Bears' lease on Soldier Field runs through 2033.
"We recently submitted a bit to purchase the Arlington International Racecourse property," Bears team president Ted Phillips said in a statement. "It's our obligation to explore every possible option to ensure we're doing what's best for our organization and it's future. If selected, this step allows us to further evaluate the property and its potential."
The Bears have played at Soldier Field since 1971. However, the facility is owned by the Chicago Park District and not the team.
Arlington Park, which is located 30 miles from downtown Chicago in Arlington Heights, is running what's expected to be its last year of horse racing. The property runs alongside a Metra train line that connects to the city and is located near multiple expressways.
On Tuesday, Arlington Heights mayor Tom Hayes joined the Parkins & Spiegel Show to discuss the possibility of the Bears relocating to Arlington Park. Hayes was asked about the seriousness of the Bears' interest and whether they could be using the site as potential leverage for the organization to get what it wants from the city in regards to Soldier Field.
“That’s always possible, but we look to the positive aspects of it – that they’re even considering Arlington Heights is a real feather in our cap,” Hayes said. “This is a real prime piece of real estate located not just in Arlington Heights but in the northwest suburbs where a lot of the Bears fan base is. I know there are a lot of people who would be very excited, including myself, to see the Bears in Arlington Heights.”
Soldier Field holds a capacity of 61,500, which makes it the smallest stadium in the NFL.
After the initial news broke, Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot blasted the team's bid on Arlington Park, calling it a "negotiating tactic" over Soldier Field.
"The Bears are locked into a lease at Soldier Field until 2033," Lightfoot said in a statement, which she initially deleted from Twitter. "In addition, this announcement from the Bears comes in the midst of negotiations for improvements at Soldier Field. This is clearly a negotiating tactic that the Bears have used before.
"And like most Bears fans, we want the organization to focus on putting a winning team on the field, beating the Packers finally and being relevant past October. Everything else is noise."
The Bears' statement Thursday marked the team's first public comments on a potential move from Soldier Field since before the site underwent a $400-million reconstruction project in 2002.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.