Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson staying patient, desires ‘line of communication' with Bears

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson staying patient, desires ‘line of communication' with Bears originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

There haven't been many developments on the Bears stadium front, recently.

Last we heard, the Bears metaphorically stepped back from their deal with Arlington Heights. They're listening to other municipalities who are interested in hosting the football team and its stadium desires.

Including, Chicago?

Bears CEO/President Kevin Warren and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have released joint statements on two separate occasions. One in June, and one about a week ago. Here's the latest one.

"We continued our productive discussion this week that began in early June," the brief statement read. "We plan to have regular dialogue with each other, and across our respective staffs, as we work together to meet the needs of the citizens of Chicago and Bears fans."

The Bears and the city of Chicago are not shy about discussing their respective needs. And presumably, after at least two conversations, their discussions are intimate and detailed.

When asked Wednesday how long he believes the Bears will take until they finalize a direction for their new stadium plans, Johnson chuckled at the question.

"I'm a different mayor, y'all," Johnson said. "I'm gonna take my time because getting it right is important. What I don't want is that you all to push me to rush a decision to then come back to tag me for making a decision too soon that people don't ultimately like.

"At the very least, you know whatever decision I made, I didn't take it lightly. I believe the Bears understand and appreciate that. Within the next 5-10 years I guess we gotta come up with something."

Just so it's clear, Johnson doesn't have much jurisdiction in the Bears' stadium plans.

Yes, the Bears are a tenant to the city of Chicago by way of leasing Soldier Field for the next 10 years. But they have a buyout midway through that lease, as Johnson also mentioned. Anything the Bears decide to do is out of the Mayor's hands.

It would obviously be a smart idea for Warre and the Bears to maintain a relationship with Chicago's highest-ranking government official. If you want to "build the most advanced, most progressive stadium project ever on the planet," as Warren said in July, you can't have too many friends.

And Johnson's on board to help the Bears in their stadium endeavors.

"The plan is to keep lines of communication open," Johnson said. "I don't want it to take light on that because something that I've learned in my work to get to this point is listening to people and hearing their values. That's the best position to be in in order to come to a conclusion that works for everyone.

"As far as getting into specifics, these are relationships that I'm learning quickly. We'll get there. I believe it's inevitable that we will ultimately have conversations that would be more guided and specific. But in the meantime, there's just an understanding that the history of the Chicago Bears and what the people of Chicago want to see -- those interests have to align.

"The early parts of our conversations have put us in a position to have another one. And that's a good thing. If there is ever a breakdown and we're not talking, we should be concerned. It's like a marriage. When my wife stops talking, it means the conversation is over. Right now, the conversation isn't over."

Johnson's upbeat relationship with the Bears can only be chalked up as a positive. The Bears should want the city behind them to support whichever geographic route they decide for their new stadium. Right now, it seems they have that.

From Johnson's perspective, his only shot at keeping the Bears in Chicago -- if that's his hope -- is to offer ownership. If he's not discussing ownership stake or a transfer to the Bears in regards to Solider Field, the conversation will end, and a divorce from downtown Chicago will be on deck.

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