Roger Goodell sends message to Bears about hosting a Super Bowl in a new stadium

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is sending a cryptic message to the Chicago Bears about their chances to host an upcoming Super Bowl. The Bears are looking to build a new stadium in Chicago, and Goodell was asked if that facility would get to host the big game at some point.

“Depends what kind of stadium,” Goodell said on ESPN radio, per The Bears Wire.

That certainly doesn't appear to give a clear answer. Chicago is embroiled in quite a soap opera with the Windy City over where to build a new stadium for the team. There are two locations flirting with the franchise over where to build. One is in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, while the other is in the city's lakefront district.

The Bears appear to be focused on the lakefront site, according to the team's president.

“The status is we’re continuing to make progress. We stay focused still to be able to be in the ground, start construction sometime in 2025,” the Bears president Kevin Warren said, per the Associated Press. “We’re having regular meetings with key business leaders, key politicians, just staying focused and on course.

“This is a long journey. This takes time,” he added. “I’ve been there before. We’re exactly where I thought we would be at this point in time.”

A new stadium is expected to cost the franchise billions of dollars. Bears ownership is interested in getting taxpayer dollars to help with the construction, but there seems to be disagreement between city and state political leaders about that approach.

Bears looking to start construction on new stadium next year

Chicago's plan to build a new stadium includes a more than $3 billion plan on the facility, and also about another $1 billion on infrastructure in the lakefront area. The Bears are hoping to use the new stadium as both a place to play football, but also the surrounding area as perhaps a location for a hotel.

“Anything that’s great in life, anything that lasts 50 years, takes a lot of energy and effort,” Warren added.

The Bears are still pushing for help from politicians in the state of Illinois to get some help for funding. The state's governor J.B. Pritzker has stated publicly he's not a fan of taxpayer money going to sports arenas. The negotiations seem ongoing, and the franchise would surely love the revenue that would come with hosting a Super Bowl in the city.

The Bears are 3-2 on the season and playing the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, at time of writing.