Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said leaders are still talking with Bears executives about their plans for a new stadium, even as the team appears to be stepping up its pursuit of a potential site in northwest Indiana.
The governor told reporters during a Tuesday appearance at Illinois State University that his team is in contact with representatives from the Bears front office about, among other things, infrastructure upgrades that would be needed around the old Arlington Park site.
"They just recently told us what their infrastructure needs are," the governor said. "Then the question is 'how can the state meet those infrastructure needs?'"
But what the Bears really want from state lawmakers is a change to Illinois law that would give it the ability to negotiate long-term property tax breaks for the project with local governments and school districts. There hasn't been much movement on that idea, and state House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch told the City Club of Chicago last week that the Legislature's main focus in this election year would be "affordability."
Over the weekend, the Bears appeared to step up its interest in a potential stadium site in northwest Indiana. The team sent a survey to season-ticket holders asking, among other things, whether they'd be willing to attend games in the Region, and reports suggest NFL commissioner Roger Gooddell has toured potential sites there.
Indiana state House Democrat Earl Harris Jr. told CBS4 Indianapolis that the developments show the team is serious: "Some people have had doubts, some people say we're just being used as leverage ... this, to me, eliminates that conversation."
As for what's in store for the team's next playoff showdown, Gov. Pritzker is predicting a win at Soldier Field:
"Bears always beat Rams."