The cost of breaking their Soldier Field lease would be a pittance for the Chicago Bears compared to the price tag of a shiny new suburban stadium — and it could be dwarfed by the amount of government subsidies the team might ask for to break ground in Arlington Heights.
That’s according to a Sun-Times analysis of the team’s lease with the Chicago Park District, which owns the aging lakefront gridiron and has the Monsters of the Midway on the hook for nearly $87 million if they skip town for Arlington Heights within the next few years.
The Bears — among the few NFL teams that don’t own their home turf — signed the lease in 2001 after pushing for Soldier Field’s notorious overhaul.