As Bears Seek to Ditch Chicago, a $356 Million Debt Stays Behind

For Chicago, it was bad enough that the Bears are planning to abandon the town they’ve called home for more than a century.

But on top of that, the National Football League team’s move will leave behind an unwanted legacy: $356 million of debt left over from sprucing up Soldier Field, the 101-year-old stadium that the Bears’ owners want to ditch for a new one in the suburbs about 30 miles away.

Soldier Field in Chicago.

Photographer: Quinn Harris/Getty Images

The debt for that rehab, which was finished in 2003, was supposed to be covered by a hotel-room tax placed on visitors. But since the pandemic ...