Pritzker Tells Bears To Pay Off Soldier Field Debt Before IL Helps With New Stadium

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Admitting he hasn't talked to the team recently, Gov. JB Pritzker said Wednesday that the Chicago Bears should pay off its remaining debt on Soldier Field if the organization wants any assistance from the state to build a new stadium.

"If they want a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) bill or some other help, we're going to make that a prerequisite for something like that happening," Pritzker said.

According to Crain's Chicago Business, the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority still owes $534.4 million in combined principal and interest debt tied to Solder Field renovations made in 2003. The team's lease with the Chicago Park District runs through 2033.

Earlier this week, Chicago Bears President Kevin Warren said in a letter to fans that the organization is at a "pivotal juncture" and a new stadium at the former Arlington Park site will require "zero state money for construction." The proposed stadium at the former racetrack will include a fixed-roof and a corresponding mixed-use development.

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According to Warren, the team is hoping to finalize its stadium plans in the near future to ensure the Bears get a chance to submit an official bid to host a Super Bowl as soon as 2031.

"I have said directly to the Bears in the past, I want them to stay in the city of Chicago. That doesn't mean they're going to, they're a private business," Pritzker said. "They can go wherever they would like to go, but I would like them to stay in the City of Chicago, partly because I'm a Bears fan and I would like them to be somewhere nearby for Chicago fans who live in Chicago."

Warren, who was hired as the team's president and CEO in 2023, said the focus of the McCaskey family, team owners, is to build a world-class stadium minus any help from the state. He added that the Bears are partnering with political, labor, business, and community leaders across Illinois to develop a plan for property tax certainty and a fair contribution toward essential infrastructure that will benefit the entire community.

"The state of Illinois believes that private businesses should be partners with the state where we can help them," Pritzker said. "That includes the Chicago Bears."