Despite the emergence of Colston Loveland, tight end Cole Kmet never thought he would be anywhere else other than Chicago in 2026.

Picking up Darnell Wright’s fifth-year option could be a first step toward a long-term extension, but in the meantime it keeps him in place through 2027.

The Bears are looking to leave the city of Chicago and build a new stadium in the suburbs, and now Illinois and Indiana are jockeying to see which side of the state line the Bears will go to.

“We need to make sure that if the Bears go to Arlington Heights, that my vote means that we support all of Illinois, but we also support Chicago,” State Rep. La Shawn Ford said. “That means that the property at Soldier Field, there should be some type of support for what happens at that spot.”

Talk of where the Chicago Bears will build a new stadium has dragged on for years, but could this week be the most critical yet?