NFL

The Bears Could Be Moving Out Of Downtown Chicago Within 10 Years

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Anthony Cardenas
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Anthony Cardenas Sports Editor

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Published22 May 2025

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The Chicago Bears could be playing in a new home within the next ten years, as their lease with Soldier Field is set to expire in 2033. But instead of moving forward with their plans to build a $4.7 billion facility on the shores of Lake Michigan, they may be moving out of downtown Chicago altogether.

Chicago Bears Could Be Out Of Solider Field By 2033

The lavish plans were announced over a year ago. The team set forth a blueprint for what they hoped would be their new home, very near to the same grounds that Soldier Field currently sits on. There were renderings released of what the new facilities would look like, which showed the new digs nestled up to the lake’s shoreline.

But according to recent reports, those plans have been scrapped and abandoned. The Bears franchise will instead be focusing its efforts on a parcel of land that it owns outside the downtown area, in a section of suburban Chicago called Arlington Heights.

In 2023, the Bears purchased a property known as Arlington Park. It was a former horse racetrack and facility that was used until 2021, and is located on the south side of the intersection of Illinois Route 53 and US Route 14. The entire purchased property is 326 acres, and cost the Bears $197.2 million.

Arlington Heights Location Could Become New Home

Demolition of the original racetrack and facility began immediately, but things were put on hold when the team announced the lakefront plans in 2024. Now that the downtown project has been nixed, there will likely be some more movement at the Arlington Heights location.

“Over the last few months, we have made significant progress with the leaders in Arlington Heights, and look forward to continuing to work with state and local leaders on making a transformative economic development project for the region a reality,” the Bears said in a statement last week.

The potential Arlington Heights location is roughly 35 miles by car from their current home.

The Chicago Bears have been playing at Soldier Field full time since the 1971 NFL season after previously playing their home games at Wrigley Field. Interestingly, they had originally planned to build a stadium in Arlington Heights before moving into the already-established facilities.

Soldier Field was officially opened in 1924, and has undergone some serious renovations over the years. It is unclear what the city plans to do with the stadium when and if the Bears move out.