Could the Bears really leave Chicago? Indiana passes bill in effort to lure team across state lines

The Chicago Bears have played at Soldier Field for more than 50 years, but their push for a new domed stadium has increasingly turned toward northwest Indiana. A key step came Thursday when the Indiana House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee unanimously approved a bill to create a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority that would finance, build, and lease a new facility.

In a statement reported by the Associated Press, the team said passage of the bill “would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date,” adding it is continuing due diligence on a potential site near Wolf Lake in Hammond.

Back in Illinois, momentum has stalled. A hearing before the Illinois House Revenue and Finance Committee on a separate Bears-related tax proposal was abruptly canceled. A spokesperson for JB Pritzker said state officials had been working with the team but were surprised to see the Bears praising Indiana while negotiations in Illinois were ongoing.

The franchise initially targeted Arlington Heights after purchasing the former racetrack property in 2023. Team president Kevin Warren said in December that state leaders indicated the project was not a priority for 2026.

Meanwhile, Mike Braun has actively courted the Bears to relocate across state lines. Such arrangements are not unprecedented in the NFL: both the New York Jets and New York Giants play in New Jersey despite their names.

The Bears’ stadium quest has stretched on for years. In 2022 the team unveiled a nearly $5 billion Arlington Heights concept featuring retail and entertainment districts, with hopes of securing a future Super Bowl bid by 2031. The plan sought roughly $855 million in public infrastructure funding and favorable property-tax treatment from Illinois lawmakers, but those requests were not approved.

In December, Warren told fans the search would expand beyond Illinois, emphasizing that a new stadium would generate jobs and economic activity. The franchise has never owned its home venue since moving to Chicago in 1921, when it played at Wrigley Field before settling at Soldier Field. Ownership of a new facility—potentially in another state—remains the organization’s long-term goal.

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