Michael Reese, The 78 and Soldier Field: The Chicago Sites the Bears Passed On

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Author’s note: I gathered the information in this post from public reporting, government documents and public records about the city sites Chicago has pitched since 2024. It reflects what was known as of October 30, 2026. Sources are linked at the bottom. If you spot an error or have a tip, please let me know. — Joe Bjorklund

When people ask why the Bears don’t just build in Chicago, the answer is that Chicago has offered several sites, and the team has turned down every one. On May 21, 2026 the Bears said there is no viable site in the city. Mayor Brandon Johnson has kept pitching anyway, most persistently the former Michael Reese Hospital site in Bronzeville. Here’s a rundown of the Chicago options beyond the 2024 lakefront plan.

Michael Reese Hospital site (Bronzeville)

The former Michael Reese campus, along the lake on the Near South Side, first came up in March 2024 as a way to avoid a lakefront legal fight with parks advocates. It resurfaced in late 2024 after the lakefront plan stalled.

The most detailed pitch came in March 2025 from developer Farpoint Development, which controls much of the land. Farpoint released renderings of a $3.2 billion domed stadium it said would be privately financed, along with a 20-acre park deck spanning DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Farpoint had not met with Bears leadership when it went public.

The team’s objection has been consistent: the site is too narrow, and active Metra tracks run through it, which creates engineering and security problems for a stadium. Front Office Sports reported that the site was extensively reviewed, including by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during his January 2026 visit, and that both the team and the league rejected it.

Johnson was preparing a renewed push for Michael Reese in April 2026. I haven’t found any sign it changed the team’s mind; a month later the Bears issued their no-viable-site statement.

The 78 (South Loop)

The 78 is a large undeveloped parcel along the Chicago River in the South Loop, owned by developer Related Midwest. It was mainly discussed as a new home for the White Sox. In March 2024, Related said it was open to combining White Sox and Bears stadium financing there, which briefly put the Bears in the conversation.

I found no evidence the Bears ever seriously studied The 78. The site has since been planned for the Chicago Fire’s new soccer stadium, which effectively takes it off the table.

A dome or renovation at Soldier Field

Staying put has also been floated. In 2022, then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot convened a group to study lakefront options, including putting a dome on Soldier Field or renovating it. The Bears shut that idea down. In April 2024, the architect of the 2003 renovation released his own roof concept; it didn’t gain traction either.

Soldier Field’s problems are well known. The 2002-03 rebuild shrank capacity to roughly 62,500, among the smallest in the NFL, and cost the stadium its National Historic Landmark status. Without a fixed roof, it can’t compete for Super Bowls, Final Fours or College Football Playoff games, events the Bears have made central to their pitch.

Why the city keeps trying

For Chicago, losing the Bears means losing a marquee tenant, game-day spending and a big piece of civic identity, while the city still owes money on the last renovation. Johnson has argued that Hammond isn’t viable and that the team belongs in the city. The team’s response has been that it explored every option in Chicago and none works.

One wrinkle worth watching: the stadium-authority bill the Illinois Senate passed in June 2026 would have allowed any Cook County municipality with at least 70,000 people to form a stadium authority. That includes Chicago as well as Arlington Heights. If a similar bill passes in the veto session, Chicago would technically have the same tool, even though the team says it isn’t interested.

Sources

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