Bears Great Brian Urlacher Says Team Should Stay At Soldier Field

Brian Urlacher, the Hall of Fame linebacker who anchored the Chicago Bears defense from 2000 to 2012, is adamantly against the team moving to a dome in the Arlington Heights suburb or Indiana.

“I don’t like them playing outside of Soldier Field,” Urlacher exclusively shared. “The dollar signs are what it’s all about. I get it; I don’t have to agree with it though.”

The Bears have committed more than $2 billion toward the development of a 326-acre site in Arlington Heights that would feature hotels, shops and restaurants and the fixed-roof stadium.

On Dec. 17 the Bears issued a statement that they also are exploring a move to Indiana.

“Consequently, in addition to Arlington Park,” Bears president/CEO Kevin Warren said, “we need to expand our search and critically evaluate opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana.”

The proposed fixed-roof facility in either location would rob the Bears of home-field advantage, according to Urlacher.

“Wherever they go, they want to put a dome at. I just can’t see them putting in a dome. The small advantage that they have is playing in that weather. No one wants to come to Chicago,” he said. “They don’t want to play in Chicago in November, December and January. It’s cold as hell.”

Although the Bears have said moving to a dome will allow them host tentpole sporting events, Urlacher said that rationale has a flaw.

“I know they want to get Final Fours. They want to get Super Bowls,” Urlacher said. “But even if they get a Super Bowl, who the hell wants to go to Chicago in February? It’s so cold. You can’t play golf. There’s not a lot of events you can do.”

HGV Tournament of Champions

The eight-time Pro Bowler, though, will get an outdoor event this winter when he participates at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions on Jan. 29 to Feb. 1, which kicks off the 2026 LPGA Tour season.

“The competition is my favorite part,” he said before joking. “It gets my nerves going, which is good at my age and with the lack of competition level that I now have in my life.”

The 47-year-old Urlacher, who has a handicap of two, tries to hit the links four days a week in Gilbert, Ariz. — about 30 minutes south of Scottsdale — where he now resides.

“I’m like a roller coaster. I’m up and down, man. It depends on the day, depends on the weather,” Urlacher said. “But I love it.”

In addition to Urlacher, the HGV Tournament of Champions will feature a star-studded field with the likes of former NBA stars Blake Griffin and Ray Allen, former MLB stars Albert Pujols and Roger Clemens, former NFL stars Marcus Allen and Emmitt Smith and entertainers Larry the Cable Guy and Don Cheadle.

The celebrities are paired with an LPGA star, but they don’t find out the pairing until the day before the first day of competition. Urlacher played with Brooke Henderson last year.

“The LPGA players are unbelievable,” he said. “They’re so nice. They’re very accommodating to us on the golf course. I try to stay out of their way.”

The tournament takes place at the Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Fla., and will be televised on NBC, Golf Channel and Peacock.

LPGA Tour champions from the past couple seasons will compete for $2.1 million in official prize money, and the celebrity participants will play for a separate $500,000 purse.

HGV also hosts a three-night concert series featuring Kelly Clarkson, The Beach Boys and Ella Langley.

“My wife really enjoys that part of it,” Urlacher said.

Reflecting on the Bears’ 2025 Season

Urlacher enjoyed the Bears’ 2025 season as well. They went 11-6 and won the NFC North.

“What a great season. I’m so proud of the way they competed every game,” he said. “What you see from this new coach Ben Johnson is the belief that the players have that they can win every game. They never give up in any situation.”

Of their 11 regular-season wins, six featured fourth-quarter comebacks.

And then in the wild-card round of the playoffs, they came back from a 21-6 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the rival Green Bay Packers. Urlacher attended that game, relishing the home-field advantage he wants to preserve.

“The Bears smashed them at Soldier Field,” he said.

Then in the next round, quarterback Caleb Williams, who threw for 184 yards in the fourth quarter against the Packers, threw a spectacular touchdown pass on fourth down with 18 seconds left vs. the Los Angeles Rams to force overtime.

Though they lost 20-17, the Bears — for so long a defensive-oriented team led by Urlacher — showed they have a rising star in Williams.

“Just an exciting time,” Urlacher said. “We finally have a quarterback now that can lead that franchise for a long time.”