Chicago Bears weigh Hammond stadium as Illinois makes late push
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The gist
The Chicago Bears are focused on a Hammond, Indiana, stadium after Illinois ended its session without a deal.
Illinois and Indiana are both still courting the team; the Bears decide.
Background
The Chicago Bears are the NFL franchise that has played at Soldier Field, and Chairman George McCaskey and President/CEO Kevin Warren have led the stadium talks. In February 2023 the team bought a site in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and in April 2024 it laid out plans for a publicly owned domed stadium there. Its focus has since shifted toward northwest Indiana, and the issue is live now because Illinois' spring legislative session ended without a stadium resolution while Indiana says talks continue.
How it unfolded
- Feb 2023The Bears purchase a site in Arlington Heights, Illinois, where the team hopes to build a new enclosed stadium with a large entertainment and residential development.
- Apr 2024The team lays out elaborate plans for a new publicly owned domed stadium.
- Jun 5, 2026The Bears announce their board voted to proceed with plans for a new stadium in Hammond, less than a week after the Illinois legislature adjourned without resolving last-ditch efforts to keep the franchise in Illinois.
- Aug 13, 2026McCaskey and Warren say at a Halas Hall news conference that the team remains focused on Hammond, zeroing in on two sites: Lost Marsh Golf Course and Wolf Lake Terminals. They call summer communications with Illinois lawmakers "minimal."
- Oct 1, 2026Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois legislative leaders meet in downtown Chicago with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and a Bears representative, the first such meeting, seen as a sign the team hasn't given up on staying in Illinois.
- Oct 19, 2026Pritzker signals more optimism, saying legislation under discussion would allow a stadium in the city or in Arlington Heights.
- Oct 21, 2026Indiana Gov. Mike Braun says talks with the Bears and Hammond continue and the city remains firmly in the picture, with the team exploring more land for a potentially larger stadium.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Bears Chairman George McCaskey and President/CEO Kevin Warren say the team remains focused on building in Hammond and describe summer communications with Illinois lawmakers as "minimal."
- Official
- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says legislation under discussion would offer a stadium in the city or in Arlington Heights, adding: "We want to keep them in the state of Illinois" and "In the end, this is up to the Bears."
- Official
- Indiana Gov. Mike Braun says Hammond remains in play, that the state is helping find more real estate, and that talks are "plodding along" but "still there," with communication a couple times per week.
Still unverified
Reports say a Bears relocation is likely and a final decision is expected soon, while other coverage says the final decision is still up in the air; no final site has been confirmed.