PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Bears are still in a state of some limbo regarding their quest for a new stadium, keeping their options open between two possible sites.

They own a parcel of land in suburban Arlington Heights, Ill., but insist that they’re still focused on building one close to Soldier Field and near the lakefront.

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Bears team president and CEO Kevin Warren has held firm in a promise to put shovels in the ground on new stadium construction by year’s end.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about the Bears’ stadium quest Tuesday at the NFL annual meeting, and it’s clear he and the league remain patient while the Bears work things out.

“It’s an important issue for the community and the team,” Goodell said, via the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley. “It’s not uncommon for it to be a two-year discussion. They started very early — their lease isn’t up [until after the 2033 season]. Those discussions, you expect are going to be thorough. There are going to be twists and turns through that process. And then you get to the process of having to actually build once you make those decisions, ultimately. There’s a lot to do.”

Tangible progress has been tough to identify, on the surface at least, but the team is steadfast that they can’t continue playing in a largely outdated stadium, even after remodeling a stadium that’s more than a century old.

They’d like to build an enclosed facility on one of the two aforementioned sites. That’s part of the reason why Warren was hired, following a successful stadium construction while with the Minnesota Vikings.

While the overall pace has been relatively slow, Goodell believes that finding the right solution is important than the time it takes to arrive at one.  

“I know how important the Bears are to that community,” he said. “I think everyone wants the right long-term solution, and I think that’s the types of discussions that are happening, and that will lead to that.”