Bears' unveil plans for new $4,600,000,000 domed stadium half funded by public: Report
The Chicago Bears on Wednesday unveiled plans for a staggering $4.6 billion new domed lakefront stadium as their home. The arena is expected to be built south of their current Soldier Field home and will include an added green space on the Museum Campus.
Notably, the franchise plans on asking the taxpayers in Chicago to pay half of the bill (approximately $2.3 billion) to help build the new stadium.
According to reports, the cost of building the new stadium is around $3.2 billion, with an additional $1.4 billion in infrastructure.
Bears president Kevin Warren spoke to reporters this week and insisted that the project will be challenging.
“This is not an easy project, but Chicago doesn’t like it easy,” Warren said.
Last month, the NFC North team revealed it was prepared to take on more than $2 billion in funding toward the proposed publicly-owned stadium. According to reports, the proposal also calls for a $300 million loan from the NFL and $900 million in bonds from the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority.
However, the project is expected to generate $8 billion in economic impact for the region. The stadium is expected to be built in three phases and could take up to five years to complete.
The Chicago Bears last won a playoff game in 2010, when they beat the Seattle Seahawks 35-24 in the divisional round. Since then, the franchise has reached the postseason only twice
Chicago Bears set to take Caleb Williams as top pick in 2024 NFL draft
The Chicago Bears hold the No. 1 selection in the 2024 NFL draft. The franchise reportedly has its sights set on landing USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the top pick.
Williams won the Heisman Trophy in 2022 and is coming off a strong final season with the Trojans. He threw for 3,633 yards and 30 touchdowns on 266 passes and also rushed for 11 scores as the Trojans finished with a 7-5 record (5-4 Pac-12).
Chicago traded signal-caller Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this offseason and needs a starting quarterback for its offense heading into the 2024 season. Williams appears to be the ideal fit for Matt Eberflus' team.
Chicago Bears draft picks 2024: Full list of Ryan Poles' selections