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Kevin Warren says Bears are 'extremely focused' on building stadium in Arlington Heights

Kevin Warren says Bears are 'extremely focused' on building stadium in Arlington Heights

USA Today08-08-2025
The Chicago Bears are in the market for a new stadium, and team president/CEO Kevin Warren shared a stadium update on Friday.
Warren said the Bears remain "extremely focused" on building a stadium in Arlington Heights, the 326-acre property the organization bought in 2023 for nearly $200 million, and he said the organization is making great progress. The Bears are only considering Arlington Heights in Cook County, per Warren, and they are having weekly meetings with their leaders.
'We are still extremely focused on Arlington Heights," Warren said Friday. "…Plan is still to proceed forward this year.'
The biggest thing standing in the way of the Bears breaking ground is a Mega Projects bill that remains on the docket. If it passes, Warren said the team is prepared to start construction immediately. Still, the goal is "to move dirt this year" and Warren is confident they'll be able to break ground in 2025.
As for why the Bears won't be building in Chicago? Warren said finances didn't make sense for them to build a new stadium on the lakefront.
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