NFC North

Chicago Bears explore ditching city. What are the costs if they do?

News of the Bears inking a $197.2 million agreement to buy a giant parcel of land in the Chicago suburb Arlington Heights shook the city awake early Wednesday like a frigid gust off the lakefront during a January game at Soldier Field. The deal is far from done, but it signals the Bears are serious about exploring a move out of Chicago to build a new state-of-the-art stadium, and not merely bluffing as Mayor Lori Lightfoot suggested in June when the team’s interest in the land first surfaced. Wednesday’s agreement allows for the Bears to more closely study constructing a stadium at the 326-acr…