Chicago Bears, Illinois Governor Deepen Stadium Talks

The Chicago Bears’ stadium ambitions are heating up behind closed doors.

The Bears and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration have been holding more advanced behind-the-scenes talks on stadium financing than previously disclosed, the Chicago Tribune reported. The talks signal potential movement on the team’s yearslong push to secure public support for a stadium in Arlington Heights.

Pritzker has expressed skepticism about using state dollars for the project. But the governor’s office has spent $100,000 in taxpayer funds over the past year to hire outside legal counsel to analyze the Bears’ proposals, including how they could affect Illinois taxpayers.

The state’s adviser, sports and media attorney Steve Argeris, worked under a contract with Hogan Lovells that expires in June and has since moved to Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

On the Bears’ side, the team has tapped political consultant Leah Israel to advise negotiations. She’s a well-connected Democratic fundraiser with ties to Pritzker’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign and the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Records obtained by the outlet show Israel reached out to Pritzker’s chief of staff in late April seeking a meeting to provide updates on the team’s stadium plans. The governor’s office confirmed the meeting took place last week.

The private discussions come as the Bears refocus on redeveloping the former Arlington International Racecourse site, pivoting away from a prior pitch for $5 billion lakefront domed stadium near Soldier Field.

The team is seeking legislation that would allow it to negotiate local property tax deals for large-scale projects. It’s a politically sensitive ask, especially with Springfield’s budget session facing a looming adjournment deadline and expected resistance from Chicago lawmakers.

Neither the Bears nor the governor’s office has disclosed details of the negotiations, and it’s unclear whether any legislative action will emerge this session. But the recent consultant hires on both sides suggest that the Bears’ lobbying effort is intensifying.

The project would mark one of the region’s largest mixed-use sports developments, reshaping a 326-acre site northwest of the city into a stadium-anchored entertainment district.

— Judah Duke