Chicago Bears Take Serious Step Towards A Beautiful New Stadium In Arlington Heights

After decades of making the wrong decision on pretty much everything, the Chicago Bears look like they've finally put together a few decent ones here in the 2022 offseason.

New General Manager Ryan Poles is definitely cleaning house at the moment, anyone not named Justin Fields shouldn't be confident that they will be on the starting roster for the Bears 53-man opening day roster.

Bear fans are hoping that the new GM will build a roster worth of winning a Super Bowl.

Now what if they actually played in a stadium that was worth of hosting one?

That certainly doesn't apply to their current home digs. Soldier Field.

Soldier Field is often described as one of the worst stadiums in the NFL. Don't be confused, the history and military honor has nothing to do with that label. It is just the stadium itself does not match up in anyway to the more modern stadiums across the NFL. It has the smallest capacity, the field is routinely ranked as one of the worst in the league, and worst of all the Bears don't even own it.

That looked to all change when the Bears became the primary contenders to buy the plot of land where the Arlington Race Track currently sits in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

The Bears made another significant step in building a new stadium this week when they hired Manica Architecture to help with the initial plans for a new stadium proposal to present to the NFL.

That might not mean anything to you, I know it didn't for me, but Manica Architecture is the same team behind the new stadium in Las Vegas, home of the Raiders, Allegiant Stadium.

This stadium:

Allegiant Stadium is not only one of the best stadiums in the NFL but it's also everything that Soldier Field is not. Modern, attractive, and desirable to play in.

Not only that but a multi-use facility in the far northwestern burbs could attract major concerts, Super Bowls, college football games, or possibly a Final Four. It would be a facility unlike any other in the Chicago area.

President of the Bears Ted Phillips said that the land purchase could be finalized by 2023. The Bears currently have a contract with the city to play in Soldier Field until 2033 but the Bears could buy out of that as early as 2026 for about $80 million.

This is still at least 4 or 5 years out but it's nice to see the Bears moving in an aggressive direction to finally play in a stadium worthy of an original NFL franchise.