Why did Arlo White post a cryptic photo of a Chicago Fire shirt?

Arlo White, the lead Premier League play-by-play announcer for NBC, posted a split-second shot of what appears to be himself wearing a Chicago Fire shirt on his Instagram story.

This comes one day after the Fire announced a multi-year deal that would put all locally broadcast Fire matches on WGN-TV. The Fire have yet to announce TV talent for the broadcasts, but here’s what Chicago Fire COO John Urban said yesterday on WGN Morning News when he was asked who would be calling the games:

“We’ll be announcing the in-booth talent very shortly, but big news on the way on that front.”

Big. News.

Hiring Arlo White would certainly qualify as big news.

Arlo White/Instagram

To be clear, this is pure speculation at this point. When questioned about White, a Fire spokesman said, “The Club will announce broadcast talent at a later date.” We reached out to White via an Instagram message, and have not heard back.

So, why might this make sense?

White is a die-hard Chicago sports fan. He threw out the first pitch at a Cubs game last summer, and he also very publicly loves the Bears. So, calling matches at Soldier Field might be a big draw for him.

And, he’s no stranger to MLS. Prior to his gig at NBC, the Leicester, England native was the play-by-play man for the Seattle Sounders.

Plus, White wouldn’t necessarily have to quit his NBC job to call Fire matches. He could potentially juggle both.

Under the old Fire ownership, even the idea of hiring White would seem crazy. But new owner Joe Mansueto is clearly taking big swings with everything he does regarding the team, so maybe White’s Fire shirt photo was a clue as to where he’s heading next.