The president and CEO of the Chicago Bears is watching the clock as the team gets closer to making a decision about its new home, while a leader of the effort to keep the team in Illinois believes a deal will get done soon.
"We don't have a set deadline," Bears chief Kevin Warren told the "Pro Football Talk" podcast about the team's time frame for deciding on whether to build a stadium in Arlington Heights or take Indiana up on its offer to build a stadium in Hammon. However, he said there's a range: "This spring, slash, summer ... we'll know."
Warren told hosts Mike Florio and Chris Simms that Indiana has been "a great partner," and the team is doing its due diligence on the potential Wolf Lake site, but described the 326-acre Arlington Park property as "wonderful."
"I feel we're in a fantastic position," said Warren, who spoke during NFL owners' meetings in Phoenix.
He also appeared to rule out the possibility of the team staying within the Chicago city limits, despite repeated insistence from Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson that the only viable plan for the team is the one he and Warren rolled out two years ago to remake the lakefront Museum Campus around a publicly-owned stadium.
"There was not an appetite at that time there," Warren said. And referring to other sites that have been mentioned, including the often-referenced Michael Reese Hospital property in Bronzeville, he said "there are some other sites that just don't fit."
In Springfield, a proposal that would let the Bears or other "mega-project" developers negotiate long-term property tax rates is being re-tooled after being passed by a House committee. The sponsor, Chicago state House Democrat Kam Buckner, said he anticipated action before the end of the legislative session in May.
"'Impatience' is thrown around at a good clip in this conversation," Rep. Buckner (D-26th District) told WBBM Newsradio, "(but) we've also been able to talk about what the future looks like, why it's important that we do this right."
Buckner also said he and Gov. J.B. Pritzker's team are making progress with executives from the Bears on what it'll take to keep them in the state, but he pointed to other sports venue deals to push back on the idea that the state is dragging its feet.
"The Bears purchased this land in Arlington Heights in February of 2023. This is usually about the midrange point for most deals," he said.
The former Illini offensive tackle also noted that the top priority is getting any deal right, which he thinks they'll be able to do, soon.
"(It's) actually closer to ... if you want to use a football analogy ... to the red zone," he said. "I don't think we're far from a deal. I think that we're really close to getting this wrapped up."
Top IL lawmaker says talks with team are close to the 'red zone'
