Day 122 of the Chicago Bears offseason. Sigh. A new batch of Bears stadium drama has dropped. Let’s discuss.
Full disclosure: I thought Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was just being difficult and performative with his insistence that the city could still have a chance to be the future home of Bears football. As it turns out, the Bears have reached out to the city (relatively recently, too!) to kick the tires. In an interview with NBC 5 Chicago’s Mary Ann Ahern, Illinois State Sen. Bill Cunningham (who is a co-sponsor on the megaprojects/payment inlieu of taxes (a.k.a. PILOT) bill being drawn up with the intent to keep the Bears from leaving Illinois) said the team was in contact with the city “in recent weeks” and discussed what he believed to be a hypothetical situation that could unfold in th event that the Arlington Heights project falls through. What’s old is new again!THE BN BEARS PODCAST: Apple | Spotify | YouTube
For what it’s worth, a source tells NBC that those conversations were more focused on the team’s Soldier Field lease and not about circling back to the city about a downtown stadium project. Here is the team’s statement on the matter (via the Tribune):“The team has been clear with the city of Chicago and state leaders there are only two viable stadium locations under consideration, Arlington Heights and Hammond, and a decision is expected between the two later this spring or early summer.”
Even with the statement above, because we have established that the Bears will always take the most chaotic path possible, I suppose there is still a non-zero chance the Bears could end up back in Chicago. The amount of things that would need to go sideways in Arlington Heights and Hammond for us to reach that point is unthinkable. So with the Bears and NFL publicly proclaiming that the decision regarding a future Bears home will be made between Hammond and Arlington Heights, those odds are so infinitesimally small that I’m not sure even the most powerful magnifying glass could see them. Nevertheless, we’ll continue monitoring this story as more details emerge. More from Capital Fax, which shares a text from State Sen. Cunningham:Was told by a representative of the Bears that while the attorneys were having a discussion about the existing lease, they had a “hypothetical” conversation about reconsidering a lakefront site if Arlington Heights doesn’t work out. Not surprisingly, the mayor and his people have seized on that discussion and have used it to their advantage — telling Chicago members that the city is still a viable alternative and that Hammond is a bluff.
I don’t personally believe the Bears are serious about the city. I think they are primarily focused on Arlington Heights first and Hammond second. But either they were intentionally laying ground work for a backup plan with the city or their GC went places she probably shouldn’t have in a conversation with the city. Either way, it’s provided the mayor with a talking point as he lobbies Chicago legislators.
Getting consistent reminders of how bad the Bears and the city’s mayoral office is at messaging gives me second-hand embarrassment. This nugget from CHGO’s Adam Hoge made my brain hurt:The cosponsor of the PILOT bill saying this publicly with just 12 days to go is something: t.co/1GnQdDFReW pic.twitter.com/HRWVJazEs9
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) May 21, 2026 We’ve got less than two weeks to go, and the lack of a traffic study (which probably should have been done by now) showing up as a new hangup in this quest to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights is mind-numbingly silly. This speaks to what I wrote about yesterday regarding this franchise’s history with unpreparedness for big moments and decisions. I’m so thankful for Ben Johnson because I’m afraid this franchise, on the field, would be a rudderless ship had it hired a different coach. With that being said, I would accept the trade-off of continued stadium chaos if it meant the Bears won a Super Bowl during Johnson’s first contract with the Bears. Wouldn’t you? Bears QB Caleb Williams with Head Coach Ben Johnson. David Banks-Imagn Images Over at The Athletic, Ted Nguyen breaks down some starting quarterbacks who will be in new offensive systems in 2026 and what hurdles they’ll have to overcome this season. Not only did I come away from this post feeling smarter after having read it, I also realized that the following quarterbacks are on the Bears’ list of 2026 opponents: Jalen Hurts, Baker Mayfield, Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr., and Malik Willis. Perhaps this is an area the Bears can leverage to their advantage on the defensive side of things — especially since they’ll square off against Hurts, Penix/Tua, and Baker before the Week 10 bye. Another day, another NFL writer opining that Cam Jordan would make a ton of sense for the Bears. The latest comes from FOX’s Ben Arthur, who says that Chicago should sign Jordan in this free-agent matchmaker piece: “Following the draft, the Bears could still use more depth at edge rusher behind Montez Sweat. The 36-year-old Jordan, who had 10.5 sacks last season with the Saints, spent a decade with Chicago defensive coordinator Dennis Allen in New Orleans (2015-24).” Why is Aaron Rodgers back for another year in Pittsburgh? You can thank Mike McCarthy. “I encouraged him for an outside perspective to interview Mike,” Rodgers said, via ESPN. “Not thinking that he even would, honestly, just because the way the league goes and the trend, it’s kind of like whoever worked with Sean [McVay], Kyle [Shanahan] or one of those guys, Matt [LaFleur] now gets a lot of looks and multiple guys in those trees have. But then when it became more serious, I was thinking, ‘Wow, that’d be a really interesting thought to come back and play with Mike.'” CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones (via Twitter/X) shares news that the Minnesota Vikings have requested in-person second-round interviews with the following candidates: Broncos Assistant GM Reed Burckhardt, Bills Assistant GM Terrance Gray, Rams Assistant GM John McKay, Seahawks Assistant GM Noal Teasley, and the team’s current interim GM, Rob Brzezinski.FOLLOW BN BEARS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook | Twitter | BlueSky
The Milwaukee Brewers spent the last three days putting belt to backside at Wrigley Field, completing a three-game sweep with a 5-0 win against the Cubs. Can the Brewers stop playing the plucky underdog card now? That schtick shouldn’t play as well as it does with folks when you have a team that has a bunch of former top prospects, multiple all-stars, the reigning NL Manager of the Year, and has won the division each of the last three seasons. Jerry Stackhouse is now being considered as a Chicago Bulls head coach candidate. Stackhouse, a first-round pick (third overall) by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1995, had a lengthy NBA career with the Sixers, Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, and Brooklyn Nets. He also has coaching stints with the Raptors, Grizzlies, and Warriors as an assistant. I’m open to the possibility of a Steve Kerr understudy taking over in Chicago. Over at BN Blackhawks, Tab Bamford writes about the lessons learned from the 2012 NHL Draft.More Bears From Bleacher Nation: Go Ad-Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter
Hence then, the article about more bears stadium drama why i m thankful for ben johnson and other thursday bullets was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( More Bears Stadium Drama, Why I’m Thankful For Ben Johnson, and Other Thursday Bullets )
Also on site :