Wilson pitching Bears and Super Bowl in Chicago
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Soldier Field. Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Mayoral candidates are beginning to seize on an issue no mayor wants to own: the Bears leaving Chicago.
Why it matters: The Bears' stadium saga is becoming a key issue in the 2027 mayoral race, with candidates likely to face questions about whether anything can still be done to keep the team in the city.
Catch up quick: The Bears want a new stadium and have effectively written off Chicago, focusing on a potential move to Hammond, Indiana, while Arlington Heights remains an Illinois alternative.
Driving the news: That's not stopping mayoral candidate Willie Wilson from touting a new proposal to keep the team at Soldier Field. Wilson unveiled a five-point plan this week that includes:
- Putting a dome on Soldier Field.
- Expanding the stadium's capacity to 70,000.
- Asking the NFL to bring a Super Bowl to Chicago.
- Selling the former Michael Reese Hospital property to the Bears for a nearby practice facility.
- Providing the Bears with a 10-year property-tax cap.
What they're saying: "I have put forward a plan that will create jobs, expand opportunities to small businesses, enhance our lakefront, generate revenue for our city and make Chicago the greatest sports town in America," Wilson said in a statement.
Yes, but: Wilson's plan faces a fundamental problem: The Bears say they're ready to leave Chicago.
- The team wants to own and operate a stadium surrounded by a mixed-use entertainment district — something it can't do at Soldier Field.
- The Museum Campus also doesn't provide the space for the hotels, retail and other development envisioned around a new stadium.
Between the lines: Wilson's pitch shows how the Bears could become a potent campaign issue even if the team's stadium decision is largely outside the next mayor's control.
Flashback: Mayor Brandon Johnson tried to keep the Bears in Chicago in 2024, backing the team's more ambitious plan for a new domed stadium on the Museum Campus.
- That proposal envisioned converting Soldier Field into public park space and athletic fields, but it failed to gain support in Springfield amid concerns about the amount of public financing involved.
- Gov. JB Pritzker lambasted Johnson back in May, saying the mayor had no real plan.
Friction point: The Bears have sought public help with infrastructure as well as certainty over future property taxes at a new stadium site.
- Illinois lawmakers have yet to reach a deal that would provide the team with the property-tax structure it wants for Arlington Heights.
The bottom line: Wilson's plan may be a long shot. But it probably won't be the last proposal Chicago voters hear about keeping the Bears within city limits before 2027.