Chicago Bears CEO Kevin Warren has broken his silence on the franchise’s stadium challenge, making his first public remarks since June 4, as questions continue to surround the team’s plans for a new home, according to a report by The Athletic.
While Warren acknowledged the hurdles still facing the project, his latest remarks also offered new insight into how the Bears intend to navigate the next phase of one of the NFL’s most closely watched stadium efforts.
Warren appeared at Lake Forest’s Gorton Center for “Talking Football with Kevin Warren,” a live conversation with author David Sweet, in his first scheduled public appearance since the Bears’ board voted June 4 to advance a new stadium project in Hammond, Indiana. He never mentioned the proposed Arlington Heights, Illinois, site by name.
Kevin Warren’s Property Tax Demands
“I think we’ve been very clear, I mean, always, you have to have property tax certainty,” Warren said on Thursday, quickly identifying the most contentious issue around the new stadium project. “The numbers are too big if you don’t have it, and it’s too uncertain. You have to have a commitment from an infrastructure dollar standpoint. You have to have a really good partner, because regardless of where you build, there are always going to be complications. Things happen.”
Illinois lawmakers punted on dedicated stadium legislation this spring, pushing the Bears toward Indiana, where geotechnical and environmental studies are underway. The board framed the move as an effort to “transform the region,” according to a joint statement from Warren and Chairman George McCaskey carried by the Chicago Sun-Times. Illinois, though, hasn’t been cut loose. A top Senate negotiator told Capitol News Illinois that Warren called ahead of the June announcement to signal the door remained open.
“It’s been a challenge, but they’re all a challenge,” Warren said on Thursday. “U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis was a challenge. The stadium project overall has been a challenge. They all are a challenge. But I think what we have to do is continually just stay positive.”
Chicago Bears Stadium Fight Meets World Cup Regret
Warren pointed to this summer’s World Cup as evidence of what a fixed roof buys a city. Chicago hosted no matches, while Seattle, Texas and Miami did.
“To think that we didn’t have the World Cup here in Chicago is disappointing,” Warren said, as quoted by The Chicago Tribune. “We miss out on a lot of events that we should have. But not having a fixed roof building has created an atmosphere.”
Pre-submitted questions kept the Q&A light on specifics, and the turf-versus-grass issue made plain by the World Cup drew no firm answer beyond a promise to study it. Warren spent more energy praising general manager Ryan Poles and coach Ben Johnson than detailing where his stadium will sit.
The crowd of roughly 75 to 125 attendees included Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey, seated in the front row. Bailey wants the Bears to stay in Illinois but stopped short of criticizing Warren’s handling of the search. Other attendees weren’t as forgiving. Fans including Tim Boyd and Jake Butman voiced frustration afterward that the questions never pushed Warren on a timeline, calling the format soft given what’s riding on the answer for season-ticket holders in the northern suburbs.
The Bears bought the 326-acre Arlington Park site for $197.2 million in 2023. Three years later, with training camp opening and Caleb Williams entering his second season, the location remains unresolved. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s office has been in touch with the Bears on legislative drafting, but no special session has been scheduled. Warren’s audience left with due diligence, not a decision.
Bears CEO Kevin Warren Breaks Silence on Stadium ‘Challenge’