NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell weighs in on possible new Bears stadium, hopes of Chicago hosting Super Bowl
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Could Chicago one day host the Big Game?
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell weighed in on that possibility and the future of the Bears' stadium at his annual Super Bowl news conference Monday night.
The last time the Bears played in the Super Bowl was Sunday 16 years ago – they lost to the Indianapolis Colts at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Bears won their only Super Bowl 38 years ago last month when they beat the New England Patriots at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
This year, the Bears did not make the playoffs. The site of the Bears' future home after their lease is up at Soldier Field was discussed in Las Vegas. Allegiant Stadium, which opened less than four years ago in time for the Raiders to move from Oakland, California, is in the spotlight as the site of Super Bowl LVIII.
NFL fans from near and far will pack Allegiant Stadium as Vegas prepares to host its first-ever Big Game in the domed arena.
This is something the Chicago Bears would love to do one day.
"A great stadium can host additional events," said Goodell. "I think that's true in Chicago."
The Bears have played at Soldier Field since 1971. They shared Wrigley Field with the Cubs before that. Soldier Field itself will celebrate its centennial later this year. It was renovated after the 2001 NFL season, and that drew critics who compared it to a flying saucer landing in the middle of the old stadium and towering over its historic colonnades.
The Bears have been very clear about plans to leave Soldier Field and move elsewhere.
"The Bears are committed to being in Chicagoland," said Goodell.
In the past few years, Bears dished millions of dollars to buy the 326 acres of the old Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights. The rendering of what could come included a domed stadium and hotels at the old racetrack site.
Yet the current property tax assessment has the team and some suburban school districts at odds, which forced the Bears to reconsider staying in Chicago.
Along the lakefront is the parking lot just south of Soldier Field. Could a domed stadium pop up there?
"I talked to the mayor of Chicago recently. He wants them in the city. Arlington wants it out in Arlington," Goodell said. "I think they'll be able to develop a proposal that will be good for the fans, but I also think it'll also be great for Chicago."
Bears President Kevin Warren sat down recently for an interview with CBS 2 Sports Director Marshall Harris.
"We are doing all we possibly can to figure out the best location for the Chicago Bears," Warren said in the interview.
In the interview – which will air on the CBS 2 News after the Super Bowl Sunday – Warren said a new Chicago stadium is still possible.
Warren was also behind the domed stadium for the Minnesota Vikings. U.S. Bank Stadium opened in 2016.
He said the Bears could also move to The 78 – the same spot near Roosevelt Road and Clark Street in the South Loop where the White Sox are also looking to build.
"I love Chicago. I've said it many times before - it's the greatest city in the world. And very rarely do you get beautiful water along a downtown coast with buildings and our strong business community," said Warren, "and so we're doing all that we possibly can to figure out the best location for the Chicago Bears."
