We Now Have Possible Date Chicago Bears Will Announce New Stadium

One former NFL executive had a great line that applies to almost anything in life: "Deadlines spur action." This is true in sports, business, and everything else. The Chicago Bears have operated on a soft deadline for their new stadium of 2025. Team president Kevin Warren said many times since taking over that he wants shovels in the ground by this year. After the push for a downtown building failed to materialize, it seems the Bears have pivoted back to Arlington Heights, with news filtering out of major progress on taxes and site research.

The one thing we haven't had is a concrete date for when the Bears plan to make an announcement. That may have finally changed. Adam Hoge of CHGO came forward with an important piece of information. In order to get a stadium going before the end of this year, the Bears will need legislative confirmation from the Illinois government. There is one problem. The current legislative session is set to conclude on May 31st. That gives the Bears just over a week to settle their business.

The Chicago Bears walk into uncertain territory if they miss the deadline.

Illinois' state legislature has one main session each year, running from January to the end of May. It then reconvenes in the fall, but that is only to handle any vetoes levied by the governor. Outside of that, the only other times it comes together are for special sessions called by said governor. It seems rather unlikely the Chicago Bears could get one called for their stadium situation. These sessions can be costly for taxpayers, and J.B. Pritzker has already made it clear he won't sacrifice public money for the Bears' project. That is why the Bears need to have some sort of deal in place before the session ends. How far along are they? Have they even started? We should know by the 31st.