Chicago Bears Soldier Field relocation plans
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The gist
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said proposed legislation would leave room for a Bears stadium in Chicago or Arlington Heights.
The team's president has called Hammond, Indiana its sole focus, so the state is trying to block a move.
Background
The Chicago Bears are the NFL team that has played at Soldier Field, their lakefront home in Chicago. The franchise has explored leaving: it bought the former Arlington Park property in Arlington Heights in 2023 and later pursued a Hammond, Indiana project, after Illinois lawmakers could not approve financing for a new in-state home. Pritzker, the Illinois governor, is now pushing legislation that would keep two Illinois sites open as officials try to prevent an out-of-state move.
How it unfolded
- 2023The Bears purchased the 326-acre former Arlington Park property in Arlington Heights for a potential stadium and surrounding development.
- 2024The team unveiled a nearly $5 billion proposal for an enclosed stadium next to Soldier Field.
- Apr 2024Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Bears unveiled a lakefront stadium proposal near Soldier Field, which lost momentum as other locations moved to the forefront.
- May 2026Johnson maintained Chicago remained the best location despite the team's increasing attention to Arlington Heights and Northwest Indiana.
- Jun 2026The Bears Board of Directors voted to advance a stadium development project in Hammond, Ind., though the exact location hadn't been selected.
- Aug 2026Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren said the organization's "sole focus" was a stadium and mixed-use project in Hammond.
- Oct 1, 2026Pritzker discussed the stadium with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Bears minority owner Pat Ryan and legislative leaders.
- Oct 15, 2026Pritzker said legislation in Springfield would leave room for a Bears stadium in Chicago or Arlington Heights, giving the team two Illinois options; he did not identify a new Chicago site.
- Oct 18, 2026Kalshi odds showed a new Illinois location at 60%, Indiana at 39% and no relocation announcement at 5%.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Pritzker said the legislation would give the option of a stadium in the city or in Arlington Heights, that the location is the team's decision, and that "we want to keep them in the state of Illinois."
- Team
- Warren said in August the organization's "sole focus" was the Hammond project, and the team said it has "exhausted every opportunity" to stay in its current situation.
- Caution
- Kalshi traders are weighing whether the Bears' Indiana threat is genuine leverage or a negotiating tactic to force Springfield's hand.
Still unverified
Kalshi traders are weighing whether the Bears' threat to move to Indiana is genuine leverage or a negotiating tactic to force Springfield's hand before the Soldier Field era expires.