Bears, Facing Tough Fight To Build A Stadium In Chicago, Aggressively Courted By Aurora, Illinois

Everybody in the sports world loves a good David versus Goliath matchup and when it comes to where the Chicago Bears are going to be playing in the decades to come, we've got one.

"Well, man, we're definitely David in this circumstance up against Chicago," Aurora, Illinois mayor Richard C. Irvin told OutKick on Monday. "But we feel like we've got everything that the Bears need, and we're looking forward to continuing to present our case and see if they can come on home to Aurora."

Irvin and current Bears CEO Kevin Warren have discussed the possibility and the mayor has even suggested locations within Aurora that would fit the Bears' needs for a stadium and entertainment district such as was envisioned at the Arlington Heights location the Bears previously considered.

About the Bears considerations: The club has cooled a bit on Arlington Heights and has set sights back to the lakefront in downtown Chicago where Soldier Field currently sits.

Bears Plan In Chicago Has Obstacles

The club seemed excited about staying home and even released renderings for a $5 billion facility project on the lake. 

Then political and financial realities set in.

The Bears have promised to pay $2 billion for the project but need government help in coming up with the rest, which would include significant funds for improved infrastructure. 

Illinois governor JB Pritzker initially called the Chicago plan a "non-starter." 

Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson, a liberal democrat, is for a stadium in his city but has found his political allies don't all have the stomach for funding a stadium for the billionaire family that owns the Bears.

And the Illinois legislature did, well, nothing on the matter in its recent session. Legislators did not debate any public funding for the stadium project, saying they need more time to scrutinize it. They suggested the issue might be discussed during a fall session, but even that is not a hopeful promise.

"As we’ve said to the Bears over and over again, to the White Sox, and also to the Chicago Red Stars, there’s just no appetite to use taxpayer funding to fund stadiums for billionaires," Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch recently told WTTW News.

CLEVELAND, OHIO - DECEMBER 17: A view of a Chicago Bears helmet prior to a game against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on December 17, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

An Opening For Mayor Richard Irvin

All of this leaves a sliver of an opening for Irvin on behalf of Aurora, the state's second-largest city that is about 36 miles west of Chicago.

"We have so many opportunities here," Irvin said. "We have a multi-cultural mix of people. Not only are we the second-largest city, but if you include our surrounding suburbs, we get up to probably close to half-a-million people.

"We've got a high-class city. We've got an A-plus bond rating. We're in a perfect position to be the new home of the Chicago Bears.

"Not only do we have the transportation, with the train. Not only do we have easy access through expressways – 88, 355 and 55 coming from the south – we also have our own airport."

All that is great, but convincing the Bears that Aurora offers the best deal is going to require moving the franchise off their downtown Chicago vision. And that, frankly, is going to take a financial plan that is probably better than everyone else's. 

So here is an overview of what Irvin shared:

May 10, 2024; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams throws the ball during Chicago Bears rookie minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Stadium Owned By Bears In Aurora

"The reality is this. It would not be public funding if it came to the city of Aurora," he said. "It would be owned by the Chicago Bears. We would work with the Bears on making sure they were treated fairly on the tax rate, unlike Arlington Heights."

That's a proverbial shot across the bow to the Arlington Heights land the Bears purchased in 2023 with relocation in mind. But that grand plan slowed to a virtual crawl early this year after the club found property tax issues to the tune of $125 million it felt it could not overcome. 

"It was going to be a privately owned facility in Arlington Heights," Irvin said. "Unfortunately, Cook County wanted to assess them at a tax rate that was unreasonable for the Bears to pay. We would work with our assessors and determine a reasonable tax rate to treat them fairly from the very beginning, so it isn't a surprise."

Irvin says he would forge a partnership with the Bears.

"We would work on this together," he said. "And it would be something we'd stretch out over a number of years. It wouldn't be a bill they would pay immediately. It would be stretched out over a number of years."

Oct 15, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA;  A general view of  the the Crucial Catch signage on a goalpost before a game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

Bears Would Get Tax Incentives In Aurora

That's a different approach. And that's not where it ends.

"Absolutely," Irvin said. "What we're willing to do as well is it would be privately owned, but we would give certain incentives. Because we have to recognize if the Bears come to town, they're going to bring jobs for a number of about three years – construction jobs, and all the other ancillary jobs around the construction process. But when the stadium is finally complete, they'll bring retail, they'll bring hotels, they'll bring food and beverage. 

"They'll bring tax dollars as well as property taxes. That would be more tax dollars to our area that we've never experienced. So, part of the incentive would be to give them a portion that they generate back to them. So but for them generating it, it would not exist. 

"With an incentive we could say, ‘We’re willing to share with you some of the tax you generated to help with this development along with the way.

"It's a win-win situation for everybody."

It's a private-public partnership. And so far, the Bears, who want to stay in Chicago, are still listening to Aurora.

And as long as the Bears are listening, Irvin is going to keep making his case to the club and in the media, including in a recent editorial in the Chicago Tribune.

"We have had a number of conversations," Irvin said. "And I can understand their desire to stay in the city of Chicago. It's the third-largest city in our country and one of the best cities in the world. But there are barriers to that.

"We don't have those same barriers in the City of Aurora. They have 50 aldermen in the City of Chicago, and we've only got 12, but I know many of them would be on board. As a matter of fact, I know they'd be because most of them signed the [editorial]."

The Bears have a lease at Soldier Field until 2033. But the club would like to break ground on a new stadium by 2025 or '26 the latest. That seems like a demanding goal amid many obstacles.

But Irvin apparently sees it as possible for Aurora, Illinois when he says he's ready to "get that stadium open in a record time."