Chicago Sports

A fan once asked George McCaskey at a public gathering who his favorite Bear was at the time. “Jay Cutler,” the team’s chairman told the crowd. I wasn’t there, so I can’t tell you how many people needed to be transported to area hospitals after that declaration of love. But it couldn’t have gone over well with a fan base that had tired of Cutler’s mercurialness on and off the field.

It might have looked like an indictment of McCaskey’s ability to recognize talent and attitude, but more likely it was something else.

NFL franchises regularly fall in love with players they shouldn’t fall in love with. It’s not unique to the Bears. The love is contagious. It spreads throughout a team’s headquarters, inspiring otherwise sober football people to doodle sonnets about an edge rusher or a quarterback when they should be Xing and Oing. It’s often reserved for first-round draft picks and big-salary players. Everybody in the building knows which players they’re supposed to love, so they do. McCaskey, who has admitted he’s a Bears fan, not a talent expert, was told by his coach, his general manager and his checkbook that Cutler should be the apple of his eye. So he was.

I find it extremely encouraging that new Bears general manager Ryan Poles has yet to publicly proclaim Justin Fields his Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious. The previous regime of GM Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy went out of its way to praise the rookie quarterback last season, in much the same way it for years praised Mitch Trubisky beyond all reason and evidence.

Others might have viewed Poles’ introductory press conference in January differently, but I saw a man who, given every opportunity, wouldn’t extol Fields’ abilities just yet.

I’d like to think he wants to see the kid play before starting the Hall of Fame discussion. I’d like to think he wants to see the kid practice. I’d like to think he wants to see the kid read the playbook and NFL defenses.

The one thing that sticks out about Poles’ first few months on the job is the emotional distance he has shown toward the roster he inherited. He shipped star pass rusher Khalil Mack, who was Pace’s biggest acquisition, to the Chargers. He waived defensive tackle Eddie Goldman, linebacker Danny Trevathan and running back Tarik Cohen. Wide receiver Allen Robinson has signed with the Rams, and defensive tackle Akiem Hicks likely will be somewhere else next season.

It’s important that Poles keep an emotional distance from Fields, too. That’s not to say Fields lacks talent or potential. It’s to say: Don’t keep making the same mistake that teams have made forever. Don’t fall in love with someone before the first date. That hasn’t worked out too well for the Bears and quarterbacks lately.

Just because Cutler didn’t live up to the mile-high expectations the Bears had when they acquired him from Denver in 2009 and just because Trubisky didn’t have success in Chicago doesn’t mean that Fields will walk a similar, potholed path. He had more than a few highlights in 2021, and we should get a clearer picture in the next year or so of how much blame Nagy gets for Fields’ struggles.

But quickly going all in on a young quarterback is a fool’s errand. It makes apparently intelligent people do dumb things, like sticking with Trubisky much too long. A team can recover from a bad draft pick or a bad trade. The trouble starts when a team is recklessly blind to its mistake. The sin is in not seeing the obvious and in failing to doing something about it.

The hope and dream in Chicago is that Fields turns into a great quarterback. But if he doesn’t, Poles can’t compound the problem. I’d warn that it could cost him his job, but Pace somehow lasted five years after drafting Trubisky instead of Patrick Mahomes. Maybe the key to continued employment with the Bears is a very public mistake.

You love whom you’re supposed to love in the NFL. It happens too often. In May, 2017, McCaskey released a statement when it looked like Cutler was retiring (he wasn’t; he signed with the Dolphins).

“Jay epitomized what it was to be a Chicago Bear,” McCaskey said. “His ability, toughness and intelligence were on daily display at Halas Hall and Soldier Field.”

Those attributes weren’t on display enough for the average fan to discern, so it’s hard to understand what the chairman saw when he watched Cutler play. I wouldn’t be surprised if McCaskey had the same glowing thoughts about Trubisky and has the same glowing thoughts about Fields. Everybody at Halas Hall always seems to be huddled up in groupthink.

The next time a fan asks McCaskey who his favorite employee is, he should stick to what he knows and loves: “My favorite? Whoever is working out the tax breaks for our new stadium.”

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Free-agent defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, who agreed to a three-year deal earlier this week, will not be signing with the Chicago Bears after failing his physical, the team announced Friday.

Ogunjobi was Chicago’s biggest acquisition thus far in free agency, having agreed to a contract Monday worth $40.5 million with $26.35 million guaranteed, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Bears announced the team had agreed to terms with Ogunjobi shortly after the new league year started Wednesday but had not officially announced his signing.

Ogunjobi was set to speak with local media members at Halas Hall on Friday morning as Chicago introduced its top three free agents, including center Lucas Patrick and linebacker Nicholas Morrow.

However, general manager Ryan Poles said the deal fell apart after Ogunjobi failed “a standard and thorough physical and medical review.”

“As I said before, Larry Ogunjobi embodies everything we are looking for in a Bear. He is a special person and player,” Poles said. “… Unfortunately, we are not signing him today. This is difficult and it is emotional for everyone involved, but ultimately is what is in the best interest of protecting the Chicago Bears.”

Though the Bears did not specify what led the defensive tackle’s failed physical, Ogunjobi underwent surgery to repair a right foot injury sustained in the third quarter of the Cincinnati Bengals‘ wild-card win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He tweeted Jan. 20 that his surgery was “a success.”

Losing out on Ogunjobi is a considerable blow to the Bears defense, which features Angelo Blackson and Mario Edwards Jr. at defensive end and Khyiris Tonga at defensive tackle. Shortly after the Bears announced Ogunjobi’s failed physical, they found a replacement at three-technique and are signing former Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Justin Jones to a two-year deal, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Jones, a three-year starter with the Chargers, had three sacks and 19 tackles in 11 games last season.

Ogunjobi, who returns to the free-agent pool, was a part of the defensive overhaul that helped the Bengals go from the lowest sack total in the NFL in 2020 to 11th in 2021. After spending his first four seasons in Cleveland, where he was predominately lined up in the A-gap over the center, Ogunjobi moved to three-technique in Cincinnati’s defense last season after signing a one-year contract with the Bengals. It yielded a career-best season in which he totaled 7 sacks, 16 quarterback hits and 40 pressures.

Aside from the foot injury that sidelined him for most of the Bengals’ Super Bowl run in the postseason, the defensive tackle has played most of his career injury-free and has appeared in 76 of 81 games over five seasons in the NFL.

ESPN’s Ben Baby contributed to this report.

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The Bears’ biggest free-agent acquisition has been undone.

The team will not sign defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi to the three-year, $40.5 million contract they agreed to this week because he failed his physical Thursday.

“This is difficult and it is emotional for everyone involved, but ultimately is what is in the best interest of protecting the Chicago Bears,” general manager Ryan Poles said Friday.

Ogunjobi, 27, was Poles’ first pickup when free agency opened Monday. He has played 76 of a possible 81 regular-season games in his five-year career, but hurt his foot in the Bengals’ playoff game against the Raiders on Jan. 15 and missed the rest of their Super Bowl run. He tweeted five days later that his foot surgery was a success.

Ogunjobi’s agent did not immediately return a request for comment.

The Bears needed a centerpiece on the defensive line after Akiem Hicks hit free agency, they cut Eddie Goldman and Bilal Nichols signed with the Raiders. Poles thought Ogunjobi would be an ideal fit.

“Ogunjobi embodies everything we are looking for in a Bear,” Poles said. “He is a special person and player… After a standard and thorough physical and medical review with Larry, our medical team deemed him to have failed his physical and therefore, unfortunately, we are not signing him today.’

The Bears appear to be moving on entirely from Ogunjobi and NFL Network reported they agreed to a deal with former Chargers defensive tackle Justin Jones as a fallback. Jones, 25, started 35 games over the last three seasons.

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Monitoring new Bears general manager Ryan Poles’ moves:

March 17

7:30 p.m.: The Bears are signing former Chiefs receiver Byron Pringle to a one-year deal, a source confirmed. An undrafted free agent out of Kansas State, Pringle caught 42 passes for 568 yards and five touchdowns last year. New Bears general manager Ryan Poles saw it first-hand as a member of the Chiefs front office.

5:20 p.m.: The Bears are signing former Packers receiver Equanimeous St. Brown to a one-year deal, a source confirmed. He played about 26 percent of the Packers’ downs on both offense and special teams last season.

5 p.m.: Running back Damien Williams signed a one-year deal with the Falcons, a source confirmed. Williams had 40 carries for 164 yards, 16 catches for 103 yards and three touchdowns in his lone season with the Bears.

3 p.m.: The Raiders signed offensive lineman Alex Bars, who spent the last three years with the Bears.

2:45 p.m.: Receiver Allen Robinson agreed to join the defending Super Bowl champion Rams and star quarterback Matthew Stafford on a three-year deal worth $46.5 million, with $30.7 million fully guaranteed, a source confirmed. The move ends his four-year Bears career and gives Robinson a long-needed quarterback upgrade.

9 a.m.: Punter Pat O’Donnell, the longest-tenured Bears player, is signing with the Packers, a source confirmed. O’Donnell was drafted by Phil Emery in 2014 and had played with the Bears ever since, working under two GMs and three coaches — not counting Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles.

March 16

3:15 p.m.: As expected, the Bears cut veteran linebacker Danny Trevathan. Trevathan was part of the Bears’ defensive rebuilding job when arriving in Chicago in 2016 but struggled the past two seasons. Last year, he played in only five games before being put on IR for the second time.

3 p.m.: When the NFL’s league year began, four Bears became free agents: tight end J.P. Holtz, guard Alex Bars, running back Ryan Nall and safety Teez Tabor.

9 a.m.: Former Bears cornerback Artie Burns is signing a one-year deal with the Seahawks, a source confirmed. He’ll join former Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai there.

7:15 a.m.: Bilal Nichols, a Bears’ fifth-round pick four years ago, cashed in Wednesday when he agreed to sign a two-year, $11 million deal with the Raiders that featured $9 million guaranteed. Nichols had totaled eight sacks and 22 quarterback hits over the past two years combined. Last season, Nichols recovered two fumbles.

March 15

11:30 p.m.: Bears Pro Bowl return man Jakeem Grant is leaving to sign a three-year, $18 million deal with the Browns

10:30 p.m.: The Bears agreed to terms on a one-year deal with former Raiders linebacker Nicholas Morrow that can be worth up to $5 million, a source told the Sun-Times. Morrow started 11 games in 2020 but spent last year on injured reserve after hurting his ankle during the preseason.

10:30 p.m.: The Bears are signing former Packers interior offensive lineman Lucas Patrick to a two-year, $8 million deal with $4 million guaranteed, a source confirmed to the Sun-Times. Patrick can play either guard or center for a team that lost James Daniels to the Steelers earlier in the day.

10 p.m.: The Bears are re-signing long snapper Patrick Scales to a one-year contract, sources told the Sun-Tines.

10:30 a.m.: Former Bears offensive lineman James Daniels is leaving for the Steelers. Daniels agreed to a three-year, $26.5 million deal Tuesday, NFL Network reported.

Former Bears general manager Ryan Pace drafted Daniels at No. 39 overall in 2018, and he played 54 games over four seasons. The Bears moved him among both guard positions and center, and ultimately he did not impress new general manager Ryan Poles enough to re-sign him.

Click here for full story.

March 14

4 p.m.: The Bears officially cut defensive tackle Eddie Goldman. Friday, sources said they’d made the decision.

1 p.m.: As new Bears general manager Ryan Poles continues to rework the roster, the team is getting younger — and possibly better — on the defensive line.

The Bears agreed to a three-year, $40.5 million deal with former Bengals defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi in the opening hours of free agency Monday, NFL Network reported. He’ll get $26.4 million guaranteed.

Click here for full story.

March 11

5 p.m.: The Bears claimed running back Darrynton Evans, a third-round pick of the Titans just two years ago, off waivers. He has 16 career rushes for 61 yards.

3:30 p.m.: The Bears also plan to cut nose tackle Eddie Goldman, who had a disappointing 2021 and no longer fit their scheme.

11:30 a.m.: As expected, the Bears told running back Tarik Cohen they would be cutting him with an injury designation about a year-and-a-half after he tore knee ligaments returning a punt against the Falcons.

March 10

4 p.m.: In a franchise-altering move, the Bears agreed to trade edge rusher Khalil Mack, the face of the franchise, to the Chargers for a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 sixth-rounder. Ryan Poles’ first major move as the Bears’ GM signified the start of a rebuild, while Mack’s Bears career ends as a risk worth taking.

March 8

5 p.m.: The Bears agreed to bring back center Sam Mustipher, tight end Jesper Horsted and guard Lachavious Simmons on one-year deals at the league minimum. All three are exclusive-rights free agents. Players with less than three seasons of experience must accept such contract tenders.

3 p.m.: The NFL’s deadline to apply the franchise tag came and went Wednesday without the Bears making anyone an offer. That means receiver Allen Robinson will hit free agency Monday after playing last year on the tag.

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Allen Robinson finally found a team willing to pay him — and a high-level quarterback to throw him the ball.

The Bears, meanwhile, took their first steps toward replacing Robinson on Thursday, signing the Chiefs’ Byron Pringle and the Packers’ Equanimeous St. Brown to one-year deals, sources confirmed.

Robinson, who had spent the last two years looking for a long-term deal from the Bears that never came, signed a three-year deal with the defending Super Bowl champion Rams. He’ll get $30.7 million fully guaranteed and $46.5 million overall, a source said.

Only 28, he’ll get a chance to hit the market again in no fewer than three years. Until then, he’ll line up alongside Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Van Jefferson and perhaps even Odell Beckham Jr. The Rams reportedly won’t let the Robinson signing keep them from pursuing Beckham, who tore his ACL in the Super Bowl.

Robinson will have Matthew Stafford, by far the best quarterback with whom he’s ever played, throwing him the ball. Robinson spent his first four years with the Jaguars and four more with the Bears, who gave him the franchise tag for a disappointing 2021 season. In the last two years alone, Robinson had four different Bears quarterbacks start at least six games: Justin Fields, Nick Foles, Mitch Trubisky and Andy Dalton.

After starting the new league year Wednesday with only two receivers on the roster who caught a pass last year — Darnell Mooney, with whom Fields has been training at Georgia Tech, and second-year wideout Dazz Newsome, who had two receptions — Fields will have new faces to target in 2022.

Pringle, 28, caught 42 regular-season passes for 568 yards and five touchdowns last year with the Chiefs, for whom Ryan Poles worked before being named the Bears’ general manager in January. In the playoffs, Pringle totaled 12 catches for 82 yards and three touchdowns — with two coming in the wild-card round against the Steelers.

The 6-1, 201-pound Pringle, a one-time undrafted free agent from Kansas State, will get $4 million and can make another $2 million in incentives. After playing 49 percent of the Chiefs’ offensive snaps, the speedster will see his playing time spike in Chicago — as either a No. 2 or No. 3 receiver.

St. Brown, a 6-foot-5 Notre Dame alum, has loud physical tools but has struggled to find consistency as a pro. He had only nine catches for 98 yards last year and seven for 117 yards in 2020. He had 21 receptions for 328 yards as a rookie in 2018 before spending 2019 on injured reserve with an ankle injury. St. Brown, 25, projects in as a fourth/fifth receiver and special teamer.

Neither player will prevent the Bears from signing more receivers — or drafting one next month. Robinson was the best receiver left on the free agent market; JuJu Smith-Schuster, Julio Jones, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Will Fuller remain.

St. Brown is the second former Packers offensive player to join new Bears coordinator Luke Getsy, who was a Green Bay assistant for all but one season from 2014-21. Interior offensive lineman Lucas Patrick signed a two-year deal Wednesday.

The Bears’ pipeline from Green Bay flowed the other way Thursday, too. Punter Pat O’Donnell, the team’s longest-tenured player, agreed to a two-year deal to join the Packers. O’Donnell’s 46.2 yards per punt last year was the second-highest mark of his career.

O’Donnell, who was drafted in 2014, played for Bears two general managers and three coaches, not counting Poles and coach Matt Eberflus.

Running back Damien Williams, who scored three touchdowns for the Bears last year, agreed to sign a one-year deal with the Falcons on Thursday, a source confirmed, while the former Bears offensive lineman Alex Bars joined the Raiders.

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MESA, Ariz. – A media scrum grew in front of David Robertson’s locker Thursday morning. Robert Gsellman appeared in the clubhouse. The Cubs made Chris Martin’s one-year deal official. All around were signs that the Cubs’ pitching staff was taking shape.

As reports and rumors continued to pop up Thursday during the Cubs’ first spring training contests, a pair of seven-inning split squad games against the White Sox, it was also clear that there was plenty for the Cubs to still figure out.

“I feel like I’ve met everybody, and then I show up the next day and there’s somebody new,” said Kyle Hendricks, who threw two innings against the White Sox on Thursday. “But it’s a good thing. It’s awesome, man. We’re getting some really good arms.”

With a focus on pitching depth, the Cubs front office was securing contract agreements with pitchers faster than the paperwork could keep up.

To recap, since the MLB lockout ended, the Cubs have worked toward filling out their pitching staff by:

-Signing Robertson to a one-year deal

-Signing Chris Martin to a one-year deal

-Signing Jesse Chavez to a minor-league contract with a spring training invitation

-Re-signing Adrian Sampson to a to a minor-league contract with a spring training invitation

-Agreeing to a one-year deal with Steven Brault

-Agreeing to a major-league deal with Daniel Norris, ESPN reported

-Agreeing to a minor-league deal (non-roster invite) with Gsellman

-Agreeing to a one-year deal with Mychal Givens, ESPN reported

“They were very convincing,” Robertson said. “Jed [Hoyer, president of baseball operations] did his job, and he got me to come here… He just kept throwing a better offer at me every time, saying, ‘Let’s just get this done.'”

Injuries, too, have altered the Cubs’ plans. Right-hander Adbert Alzolay, who was expected to compete for a rotation spot, will start the season on the injured list with a lat strain. Since the lockout ended, the Cubs have also placed relievers Codi Heuer (Tommy John surgery) and Brad Wieck (elbow strain) on the 60-day IL.

Few roles are defined this early in spring training, especially while the Cubs are still working to put their newest pitching additions on the roster.

For now, Hendricks, Marcus Stroman, Wade Miley and Alec Mills are penciled into the starting rotation, not necessarily in that order. Justin Steele and Keegan Thompson are expected to compete for the final spot in the rotation. Brault, when his deal becomes official, is another starting option.

On the other end, the Cubs plan to use Robertson, who has 137 career saves, in late innings. Givens also has served as a closer.

“I’m excited,” said Cubs reliever Jonathan Holder. “I love seeing these guys come in like D-Rob and Chris Martin. It’s an opportunity for me to learn from them and grow from them because they’ve got a whole lot of experience.”

Holder could count as another addition. He first signed with the Cubs in December 2020 but missed last season with a shoulder strain and a series of setbacks. The Cubs re-signed Holder to a minor-league contract before the lockout. On Tuesday Holder, a non-roster spring training invitee, confirmed he’s healthy.

Then, there are the pitchers who were a part of last year’s team. The Cubs’ 4-3 seven-inning loss to the White Sox at Sloan Park included a couple relievers who could vie for increased roles. Right-handers Cory Abbott and Scott Effross each gave up a run in an inning apiece.

Between familiar faces and new ones, the Cubs’ pitching picture is getting clearer. And who knows who’s going to show up in the clubhouse tomorrow.

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Allen Robinson finally found a team willing to pay him — and a high-level quarterback to throw him the ball.

The Bears, meanwhile, added two players as they continue their search for receivers to take his place.

Robinson, who had spent the last two years looking for a long-term deal from the Bears that never came, signed a three-year deal with the defending Super Bowl champion Rams on Thursday. The receiver will get $30.7 million fully guaranteed and $46.5 million overall, a source said.

Only 28, he’ll get a chance to hit the market again in no fewer than three years. He’ll line up alongside Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Van Jefferson and perhaps even Odell Beckham Jr. The Rams reportedly won’t let the Robinson signing keep them from pursuing Beckham, who tore his ACL in the Super Bowl.

Robinson will have Matthew Stafford, by far the best quarterback with whom he’s ever played, throwing him the ball. Robinson spent his first four years with the Jaguars and four more with the Bears, who gave him the franchise tag for a disappointing 2021 season. In the last two years alone, Robinson had four different Bears quarterbacks start at least six times: Justin Fields, Nick Foles, Mitch Trubisky and Andy Dalton.

After starting the new league year Wednesday with only two receivers on the roster who caught a pass last year — Darnell Mooney, with whom Fields has been training at Georgia Tech, and second-year wideout Dazz Newsome, who had two receptions — Fields will have new faces to target in 2022.

Thursday, the Bears agreed to add two receivers on one-year deals: the Chiefs’ Byron Pringle and the Packers’ Equanimeous St. Brown. Pringle caught 42 passes for 568 yards and five touchdowns during the regular season last year with the Chiefs, for whom new Ryan Poles worked before being named the Bears’ general manager in January. In the playoffs, he totaled 12 catches for 82 yards and three touchdowns — with two coming in the wild-card round against the Steelers.

The 6-1, 201-pound Pringle, a one-time undrafted free agent from Kansas State, will get $4 million and can make another $2 million in incentives. After playing 49 percent of the Chiefs’ offensive snaps, Pringle will see his playing time spike in Chicago.

St. Brown, a 6-foot-5 Notre Dame alum, has loud physical tools — he ran a 4.48 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine four years ago — but has struggled to put together consistent seasons as a pro. He had only nine catches for 98 yards last year, one year after catching seven passes for 117 yards. He had 21 receptions for 328 yards as a rookie in 2018 before spending 2019 on injured reserve with an ankle injury.

St. Brown played in both 26 percent of the Packers’ offensive snaps and 26 percent of their special teams downs last year.

While Pringle could be the Bears’ No. 2 or 3 receiver, St. Brown would likely slot in as a fourth or fifth receiver. Neither presence will prevent the Bears from signing more receivers — or drafting one next month. Robinson was the best receiver left on the free agent market; names remaining include JuJu Smith-Schuster, Julio Jones, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Will Fuller.

St. Brown is the second former Packers offensive player to join new Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who was a Green Bay assistant for all but one season from 2014-21. Interior offensive lineman Lucas Patrick signed a two-year deal Wednesday.

The Bears’ pipeline from Green Bay flowed the other way Thursday, too. Punter Pat O’Donnell, the team’s longest-tenured player, agreed to a two-year deal to join the Packers. O’Donnell’s 46.2 yards per punt last year was the second-highest mark of his career.

O’Donnell, who was drafted in 2014, played for Bears two general managers and three coaches — not counting new bosses Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus.

Running back Damien Williams, who scored three touchdowns for the Bears last year, agreed to a one-year deal with the Falcons on Thursday, a source confirmed, while the former Bears offensive lineman Alex Bars signed with the Raiders.

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The Chicago Bears have hired an architecture firm and consultants to help them draw up plans for a new stadium in Arlington Heights, sending the latest signal that the team is serious about bolting from Soldier Field in favor of the suburbs.

The conceptual blueprints will be spearheaded by Manica Architecture, a Bears spokesperson said Thursday. That’s the Kansas City firm that designed the Las Vegas Raiders’ new $2 billion home, Allegiant Stadium, which opened in 2020.

The Bears also retained CAA Icon, a Denver sports management consulting firm that advised the Ricketts family during their Wrigley Field renovations.

And rounding out the Bears’ Arlington Heights stadium consultation team is Chicago commercial real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle, which helped represent team ownership during Soldier Field’s 2003 renovation.

Representatives for the firms didn’t return messages seeking comment.

Bears reps declined to elaborate other than to say it’s all part of their “due diligence” process in evaluating the potential for a gleaming new suburban home at the site of the shuttered Arlington International Racecourse.

Last fall, the team agreed to pay $197.2 million to buy the 326-acre site from Churchill Downs Inc., but the sale isn’t expected to close for perhaps another year — sometime in the first half of 2023, Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen said during a quarterly earnings conference earlier this year.

The sale hinges on planning and zoning approvals from Arlington Heights village officials, who are working closely with the team “to make it happen as quickly and smoothly as possible,” Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes said.

“We’re moving full steam ahead and trying to help in any way we can to make this a reality,” Hayes said.

And while Mayor Lori Lightfoot has said she wants to negotiate with Bears brass to keep the team on the lakefront, she has almost sounded resigned to Soldier Field losing its biggest tenant. Last month, the mayor convened a working group of prominent Chicagoans to help“re-imagine” the Museum Campus with or without the team.

The Bears’ lease at the aging lakeside stadium runs through 2033, but the organization can break it by paying a fee of close to $90 million if they decide to skip town in 2026 — a rough timeline of when a new suburban stadium could be ready.

How to come up with more than a billion more dollars to finance a stadium is another question. Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other public officials were quick to dismiss the notion of throwing public dollars at a stadium project, especially as Chicago taxpayers continue to foot the bill from the ’03 renovation. But the team could very well cover the massive bill through a combination of loans from the NFL, seat licensing deals and new ownership investments.

At a January news conference, Bears president Ted Phillips gushed at the prospect of breaking ground at Arlington Park, saying “there was nothing like it in Chicagoland” and that a stadium project would “put Arlington Heights on the map as a destination spot.” Team chairman George McCaskey was more reserved, declining to rule out the possibility of negotiating to stay downtown.

Industry experts have insisted the team has to build from the ground up for a massive new stadium to maximize profits in the modern NFL.

“For an NFL building it means a lot more than designing it for NFL games,” David Manica told the Sun-Times in February, before his firm was announced as a partner with the Bears. “It has to be multipurpose and serve a lot of different uses for the city and the owners of the building.”

“These are some of the most complicated structures that any city can endeavor to build,” said Manica, who also designed the Golden State Warriors’ new stadium in San Francisco. “They’re also the buildings that bring people the most joy. … They become icons and hallmarks for the city. There’s an incredible amount of pride and joy wrapped up in these buildings.”

Contributing: Patrick Finley

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The Chicago Bears have hired an architecture firm and consultants to help them draw up plans for a new stadium in Arlington Heights, sending the latest signal that the team is serious about bolting from Soldier Field in favor of the suburbs.

The conceptual blueprints will be spearheaded by Manica Architecture, a Bears spokesperson said Thursday. That’s the Kansas City firm that designed the Las Vegas Raiders’ new $2 billion home, Allegiant Stadium, which opened in 2020.

The Bears also retained CAA Icon, a Denver sports management consulting firm that advised the Ricketts family during their Wrigley Field renovations.

And rounding out the Bears’ Arlington Heights stadium consultation team is Chicago commercial real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle, which helped represent team ownership during Soldier Field’s 2003 renovation.

Representatives for the firms didn’t return messages seeking comment.

Bears reps declined to elaborate other than to say it’s all part of their “due diligence” process in evaluating the potential for a gleaming new suburban home at the site of the shuttered Arlington International Racecourse.

Last fall, the team agreed to pay $197.2 million to buy the 326-acre site from Churchill Downs Inc., but the sale isn’t expected to close for perhaps another year — sometime in the first half of 2023, Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen said during a quarterly earnings conference earlier this year.

The sale hinges on planning and zoning approvals from Arlington Heights village officials, who are working closely with the team “to make it happen as quickly and smoothly as possible,” Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes said.

“We’re moving full steam ahead and trying to help in any way we can to make this a reality,” Hayes said.

And while Mayor Lori Lightfoot has said she wants to negotiate with Bears brass to keep the team on the lakefront, she has almost sounded resigned to Soldier Field losing its biggest tenant. Last month, the mayor convened a working group of prominent Chicagoans to help“re-imagine” the Museum Campus with or without the team.

The Bears’ lease at the aging lakeside stadium runs through 2033, but the organization can break it by paying a fee of close to $90 million if they decide to skip town in 2026 — a rough timeline of when a new suburban stadium could be ready.

How to come up with more than a billion more dollars to finance a stadium is another question. Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other public officials were quick to dismiss the notion of throwing public dollars at a stadium project, especially as Chicago taxpayers continue to foot the bill from the ’03 renovation. But the team could very well cover the massive bill through a combination of loans from the NFL, seat licensing deals and new ownership investments.

At a January news conference, Bears president Ted Phillips gushed at the prospect of breaking ground at Arlington Park, saying “there was nothing like it in Chicagoland” and that a stadium project would “put Arlington Heights on the map as a destination spot.” Team chairman George McCaskey was more reserved, declining to rule out the possibility of negotiating to stay downtown.

Industry experts have insisted the team has to build from the ground up for a massive new stadium to maximize profits in the modern NFL.

“For an NFL building it means a lot more than designing it for NFL games,” David Manica told the Sun-Times in February, before his firm was announced as a partner with the Bears. “It has to be multipurpose and serve a lot of different uses for the city and the owners of the building.”

“These are some of the most complicated structures that any city can endeavor to build,” said Manica, who also designed the Golden State Warriors’ new stadium in San Francisco. “They’re also the buildings that bring people the most joy. … They become icons and hallmarks for the city. There’s an incredible amount of pride and joy wrapped up in these buildings.”

Contributing: Patrick Finley

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — Craig Kimbrel probably thought he would have been traded by now.

He’s probably not the only one.

He had talked about his place on the 2022 White Sox with general manager Rick Hahn and vice president Ken Williams after struggling in the second half of 2021 in a setup role. And Hahn publicly said in November that exploring a trade for the closer with 372 career saves was a possibility.

Hahn never says he might trade somebody. So it seemed like it would happen, and Hahn is believed to be talking to other teams as the first full week of spring training nears a close. Getting a trade partner to take all or most of Kimbrel’s $16 million salary would be the most desirable outcome, perhaps freeing up money the Sox would want to use on a free agent outfielder.

If Kimbrel stays, however, and figures out what ailed him when he struggled in the second half after the Sox got him at the 2021 trade deadline from the Cubs — for whom he was spectacular in the first as a closer — the Sox could have the super bullpen they envisioned when they sent Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer to the North Side.

“We’ve got a lot of good arms and maybe not enough innings,” Kimbrel said Thursday.

“I wouldn’t say that’s a problem, but a good problem to have when you’ve got so many weapons that can go anytime.”

Being part of that mix on a World Series contender wouldn’t be the worst thing, if Kimbrel meant what he said numerous times Thursday, that he only wants “to win ballgames.”

“This team is really good,” he said. “It’d be nice to be a part of it and do my part to help this team win.”

In such a pen, with closer Liam Hendriks blocking Kimbrel’s path to the top spot, “everyone’s going to have their role,” Kimbrel said.

The late-inning would be Hendriks ($13 million), Kimbrel with new additions Kendall Graveman ($8 million) and Joe Kelly ($7 million), comprising a right-hand arsenal at an extraordinary $44 million total salary in 2022. The lefties would be Aaron Bummer and Garrett Crochet. There’s also Jose Ruiz and Ryan Burr, with Reynaldo Lopez and Vince Velasquez in the long relief, possible starter mix.

“Guys are going to have an understanding of what we’re going to be asked to do,” Kimbrel said. “That will get shaped up as the year goes on. Obviously we’ve got Liam at the back end and we’ll go from there. We all know Liam wants the ball every single day and that’s what you want in a guy at the back end: someone who wants the ball.”

Hendriks, because of his success in the role with the Sox, hasn’t lost his grip on the ninth inning.

“Even if you tell him he can’t have it, he’s going to find a way to get it and just working back from there,” Kimbrel said. “I’d like to be in Tony’s [manager La Russa] spot and have to make decisions.”

La Russa said Kimbrel likes being a Sox but “he really likes to close.” He also said he expects Kimbrel to be here on Opening Day April 12.

Hahn said he would expect the same but he didn’t rule out a trade when asked about it this week.

Kimbrel was appreciative of the front office’s transparency in discussing his future. He’s 33 and deserves that as one building a Hall of Fame caliber resume.

“We had discussions toward the end of last year and it kind of looked like that’s where it might have been going,” he said of the trade possibility. “But here we are for multiple reasons. I’m here to get ready for the season and do whatever.”

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