Bears to unveil plans Wednesday for enclosed stadium on Museum Campus

The Bears will unveil plans for a new enclosed stadium on the Chicago lakefront during a news conference Wednesday at Soldier Field, according to a news release from the team.

According to the news release, the plan will move ahead in collaboration with city officials and stakeholders. The Bears are planning for “a state-of-the-art, publicly owned enclosed stadium, along with additional green and open space with access to the lakefront for families and fans, on the Museum Campus.”

For several weeks now the Bears have focused their stadium search on the Soldier Field south parking lot. In March, several reports indicated that the Bears were prepared to provide $2 billion to support a publicly owned stadium on the Museum Campus. But it remains unclear exactly how much public money the Bears will be asking for the new stadium.

For some time now, the Bears have been in conversations with the city of Chicago. The Bears first met with Mayor Brandon Johnson in June.

This news comes more than a year after the Bears finalized a $197.2 million deal to buy the former Arlington International Racecourse site in Arlington Heights. The team originally signed a purchase agreement for the Arlington Heights site in 2021. The sale closed on Feb. 15, 2023.

But plans to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights have stalled. The team has balked at the increased property tax value of the site.

New team president Kevin Warren has been on the job for about a year now. Warren has revamped the Bears front office since the 2023 season ended, hiring several new executive vice presidents, including leaders in charge of stadium development, legal affairs, revenue and communications.

Wednesday’s news conference will happen just one day before a potentially transformative NFL draft night for the Bears. The team holds the No. 1 overall draft pick and appears likely to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams.

The Bears will live stream Wednesday’s news conference.