Report: Roger Goodell met with select Illinois lawmakers on Thursday

On the same day that Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren publicly declared that the team’s “sole focus” as to a new stadium is Hammond, Indiana, Commissioner Roger Goodell privately was working to keep the team in the only state it has called home.

Via Shia Kapos of Politico, Goodell met with a “few select Illinois lawmakers” on Thursday.

The news highlights the reality that Hammond is the leverage to get something done in Arlington Heights or, possibly, Chicago. If the Bears were going to build something in Hammond, the process would have started by now. Especially since, as Warren said Thursday, the projected cost is increasing by $150 million per year.

So maybe, in the end, the Bears won’t leave Illinois. Maybe, just maybe, they’ll find a solution in Chicago.

Until then, enjoy the remaining seasons (however few or many there may be) of the Chicago Bears in the natural elements of Soldier Field.