Mayor Brandon Johnson appeared on 104.3 The Score on Wednesday to make his pitch for the Chicago Bears to remain in the city for their next stadium, specifically on the lakefront. And during that appearance, Johnson admitted something that he probably shouldn’t have.
In an attempt to explain how difficult it is to get in and out of Soldier Field on a gameday, Johnson admitted that he left a Bears game vs. the Green Bay Packers early to beat traffic.
“Getting in and out of Soldier Field is an absolute nightmare,” Johnson said. “Let me tell you how bad it is. Bears vs. Packers; I’m at the game; we’re losing. I decide to leave to beat the traffic. Before I get out of the footprint, the Bears had come back to win.”
There are so many other ways such a point could have been made by Chicago’s mayor over admitting that he left a game between the Bears and their biggest rival. It’s unclear which Bears-Packers game from this past season at Soldier Field that he’s referring to, but he missed an instant-classic finish either way.
CALEB WILLIAMS TO DJ MOORE TO CAP OFF A BEARS MIRACLE COMEBACK WIN OVER THE PACKERS!
Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady with the call for Fox. 🏈💥🎙️ #NFL pic.twitter.com/NpWQWLlv41
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 21, 2025
Johnson’s comments went viral and led to plenty of mocking on social media.
There’s many issues with the media tour the Mayor of Chicago is currently on, but trying to plea to keep the Bears in Chicago while admitting you left a Bears/ Packers game early (and they comeback to win!!!) ain’t going to get it done…Yikes. https://t.co/4CPurvJ0HA
— Sean Roberts (@Sean23Roberts) June 4, 2026
Personally, I wouldn’t have admitted that https://t.co/vD3bqE4vXO
— Ryan Herrera (@ryan_a_herrera) June 3, 2026
why would you ever, Ever, EVER ADMIT TO THIS!! https://t.co/k1vtXfPGdX
— Ken LaVicka (@KLVsays) June 3, 2026
LMAOOOO
He’s right that it’s a disaster getting in and out, but why would you present “I left an amazing Bears game early to beat the traffic” as part of your sales pitch?! https://t.co/nCeMH0oGPD
— Brett Taylor (@Brett_A_Taylor) June 3, 2026
Leaving that game early was bad but why would you admit that to the media?
Yikes. https://t.co/1MZdsLfUqg
— Brendan Sugrue (@BrendanSugrue) June 3, 2026
Impeach now. https://t.co/1QmEG1hRFI
— Paul Sullivan (@PWSullivan) June 3, 2026
Additionally, even putting aside the comment about leaving the Bears game early, 104.3 The Score host Matt Spiegel ripped Johnson’s last-ditch efforts to try to keep the team on the lakefront.
.@MattSpiegs blasts Brandon Johnson’s last-ditch effort to keep the Bears and his reference of “term sheets.”
“The mayor is emptily bloviating into the freaking wind. Obstructionist politics is the nicest way to describe it.
“I drew up a term sheet for Heidi Klum in the ’90s.” pic.twitter.com/Q0GP1BPWf5
— 104.3 The Score (@thescorechicago) June 3, 2026
For @SpiegsAndHolmes, mayor Brandon Johnson admitting he and the city haven’t talked to the Bears since April said everything you need to know about their last-ditch effort to keep the organization on the lakefront. pic.twitter.com/WCYTkEhrgc
— 104.3 The Score (@thescorechicago) June 3, 2026
So, it wasn’t a great day for Chicago’s mayor on 104.3 The Score.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.