The city of Chicago hasn’t hosted two professional football teams since 1959, when the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Cardinals both called the Windy City home.
But with the future of stadiums for both the Cincinnati Bengals and Bears uncertain, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio suggests now could be the perfect time for a return to that era.
Florio speculated that a possible solution to the Bears’ ongoing stadium struggles might involve bringing in a second NFL team to share the cost burden.
“With the Bears getting nowhere when it comes to finagling taxpayer funding for a new stadium, the solution could come from having a second team play there,” Florio said.
“Instantly, the inventory of games would double, from 10 to 20. It would become much easier for the Bears (and possibly the other team, unless it’s just a tenant) to pay for the building with minimal public assistance.”
So, which team could join the Bears in Chicago?
Florio points to the Bengals, whose lease at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati is set to expire after the 2025 season.
Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn confirmed at this week’s league meetings that after 2025, the team could explore options to relocate.
“Enter the Bengals,” Florio continued. “They’re less than three months away from the final countdown to the expiration of their lease at Paycor Stadium. During the league meetings this week, executive V.P. Katie Blackburn said the quiet thing out loud – after 2025, the Bengals can go wherever they want to go.”
This brings a new level of intrigue to the idea.
The last NFL team to relocate was the Los Angeles Chargers, who moved from San Diego in 2017. Prior to that, the Rams shifted from St. Louis to LA in 2016, and the Baltimore Ravens were born from the Cleveland Browns’ move in 1996.
The concept of two NFL teams in Chicago is fascinating.
The city already hosts two Major League Baseball teams – the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox – which shows there’s a strong fan base capable of supporting multiple major sports franchises (especially in football).
The idea of both the Bears and Bengals sharing a new stadium is interesting, especially considering that both teams have relatively cost-conscious ownership groups.
Even Florio himself acknowledges that while the idea is compelling, the likelihood of it happening is slim.
However, he added that with cities increasingly reluctant to foot the bill for multi-billion-dollar stadiums, it might take “brash creativity” to solve the stadium dilemmas for both the Bears and Bengals.
While the concept of two NFL teams in Chicago remains speculative, the idea of a shared stadium in the heart of one of the country’s largest sports markets could certainly shake up the league’s future landscape.
Having said that, it’s pretty hard to imagine this actually happening … But then again, crazier things have happened. (Or have they?)
What are your thoughts on Florio’s suggestion that the Bengals could look to move to Chicago???
