For 39 years, Rick and Marci Cygan have made the trek to Soldier Field to watch the Bears. On Monday, they celebrated what could be one of their last home openers as season-ticket holders.
If the team moves to Arlington Heights, the couple said they might give up their tickets.
The team’s owners have been discussing potential new homes for years, and a new building in Arlington Heights appears to be the most likely next step.
The Bears were looking to build a stadium that didn’t require any state funding and benefited the surrounding community, Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren said in an email to Bears fans Monday ahead of the team’s season opener against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field.
“Arlington Heights is the only site within Cook County that meets that standard,” Warren wrote in the email. “It allows us to better serve our fan base and deliver a truly transformative and elevated game-day experience.”
Fans have mixed reviews about the possible move to Arlington Heights. Some will miss the nostalgic feel of the iconic stadium beside Lake Michigan, and others will welcome the easy expressway access and ample parking.
The Cygans, who live in Northwest Indiana, drive about an hour and a half to get to Soldier Field. To get to Arlington Heights, that drive would increase by about an hour, they said. And Soldier Field is a stadium that “stands for something,” Marci Cygan said, referring to the stadium being named in honor of U.S. soldiers who died in combat.
“I wish they’d build a new stadium right here,” Marci Cygan said. “When you get up there and look at those pillars, it cuts the heartstrings.”
Hundreds of Chicago Bears fans tailgate in the South Lot outside Soldier Field ahead of the Chicago Bears’ opening day game against the Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. | Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Hundreds of Chicago Bears fans tailgate outside Soldier Field before the Monday Night Football match-up between the Bears and Vikings. In his annual letter to season ticket holders, Bears President Kevin Warren said the team was pushing forward on plans to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Hours before the clangor of cheers inside the stadium, fans were getting the party started at tailgates outside. Waves of fans decked out in navy blue and orange — and a few dots of purple and yellow — covered Museum Campus. The smell of burgers, brats and burning charcoal filled the air as fans popped their trunks, cracked open beer cans and shouted “bear down!” to one another across the parking lot.
Charlie Cady threw a perfect spiral to his 10-year-old son, Cooper, who had just sprinted across the lot. They had driven from Champaign to see the Monday Night Football game, and it was Cooper’s first time seeing his favorite team in person.
“I’ve been a die-hard Bears fan my whole life, and now he is too,” Charlie Cady said. “He’s 10 years old, I figure it’s time for him to see it and take it all in.”
As for Cooper, he was looking forward to one thing: “For the Vikings to lose.”
“How about for the Bears to win?” his dad responded.
Charlie Cady plays catch with his son Cooper in the South Lot, outside Soldier Field ahead of the Chicago Bears’ opening day game against the Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. | Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Charlie Cady and his son Cooper, 10, play catch in the South Lot. Charlie is a lifelong Bears fan, and Monday was Cooper’s first visit to Soldier Field.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
The Bears, who have recently struggled through losing seasons and a reputation of disappointing their fans, are looking to turn over a new leaf with a young team and a fresh coaching staff led by Ben Johnson, who joined as head coach in January.
“The Bears, we deserve something good,” said fan Michael Garcia. Johnson is “creative, he’s aggressive, he does not care.”
Quarterback Caleb Williams, who joined the team last year, has garnered cautious optimism from fans hoping for a new direction for the Bears.
“I think he’s gonna have a good second year,” Rick Cygan said. “Is he gonna be outstanding? One can only hope.”
Brett, a fan from Naperville who declined to give his last name, said Williams has “tremendous talent.”
“Better than I have ever seen in my whole life … well, in this past decade,” he said.
Marci Cygan said she’s hoping the Bears win this season, not only because she’s rooting for them to reach the playoffs, but because it’s much easier to sit through outdoor games in Chicago in winter if the team has a better record.
“I want a reason to come in the cold weather,” Marci Cygan said. “If they aren’t winning, I’m not coming when it’s cold.”
This season, fans who took advantage of the Millennium Garages parking and shuttle service will have to find a different way to get to the stadium. Until this year, the shuttle brought fans from Millennium Garages to the stadium. But now, game-day parking passes are still available, but the shuttle won’t be offered.
For Kenny Fay, who lives in Lincolnwood, the shuttle was the best way to avoid the headache of walking to Soldier Field or paying for stadium parking. Fay and his two sons-in-law parked on the street in the South Loop before heading to the stadium.
“We would have parked at Millennium,” he said. “Today, we’re winging it.”
Many fans take public transit or drive to the South Loop then walk to Soldier Field, but it can be more than a mile to walk.
“It favors the young,” Fay said.
Chicago Bears fan James Geake sets up a mannequin named “Little Megs” atop a vehicle as hundreds of Bears fans tailgate in the South Lot outside Soldier Field ahead of the Chicago Bears’ opening day game against the Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. | Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times | Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Time
Luis Munoz shows off his Chicago Bears tattoo while tailgating outside Soldier Field ahead of the Chicago Bears’ opening day game against the Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. | Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times | Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Time
Hundreds of Chicago Bears fans tailgate in the South Lot outside Soldier Field ahead of the Chicago Bears’ opening day game against the Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. | Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times | Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Time
Hundreds of Chicago Bears fans tailgate in the South Lot outside Soldier Field ahead of the Chicago Bears’ opening day game against the Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. | Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times | Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Time