Bears may be building case for potentially breaking their Soldier Field lease

The Chicagoland dance for a new Bears stadium could be heading for the legal mosh pit.

According to Crain’s Chicago Business, via Sports Business Journal, Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren recently sent a letter to new Chicago Park District Superintendent Carlos Ramirez-Rosa regarding the condition of Soldier Field. The letter asks for documents that will “provide an overview of maintenance and capital spending.”

Warren, a lawyer, could be papering the record in an effort to eventually argue that the team’s lease has been breached. That could allow the Bears to leave Soldier Field before the arrangement expires in 2033.

If that’s the strategy, it points to the team prioritizing Arlington Heights over a lakefront stadium. If the Bears will be building a new stadium in Chicago, transferring the existing lease to a new stadium would be a no-brainer.

The Bears have been unable to get their plan for a lakefront stadium off the ground. They own the property in Arlington Heights at which a stadium would be constructed. In either location, the Bears will need to figure out how to finagle public funding. If not, they’ll have to decide whether to pay for it themselves.

That becomes more feasible if they can lure a second team to Chicago, doubling the number of annual home games.