Chicago Bears take key step in proposed Indiana stadium move

The Chicago Bears on Thursday hailed the “most meaningful step” yet toward building a new stadium in Indiana, as the neighboring state passed a key measure to entice the NFL franchise to make a divisive cross-border move.

One of the NFL’s founding teams in 1920, the Bears in September formally announced the team would leave its long-standing home at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.

But plans to remain in Illinois with a new, modern indoor arena in a Chicago suburb have seemingly collapsed, amid a row over the state’s failure to commit to providing vital infrastructure.

Bears president and chief executive Kevin Warren warned in December that Indiana had become a serious option, and on Thursday the state unanimously passed a bill allowing it to issue bonds for the financing and construction of a new stadium.

The bill’s passage marks “the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date,” said the Bears, in a statement to AFP.

“We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana.”

The proposals for a stadium in the northwest tip of Indiana, just 20 miles from downtown Chicago, would “deliver a premier venue for all of Chicagoland and a destination for Bears fans and visitors from across the globe,” it said.

The Chicago Bears had bought a 326-acre site for development in the Illinois community of Arlington Heights in 2023.

According to Warren, the Bears had asked the state of Illinois to commit to building “essential local infrastructure” like roads, utilities, and site improvements, as well as guarantees on property tax obligations.

“Our efforts have been met with no legislative partnership,” Warren wrote in an open letter, in December.

“We have been told directly by state leadership, our project will not be a priority in 2026, despite the benefits it will bring to Illinois,” he added.

The Bears may not be the only NFL club on the move.

Also in December, the Kansas City Chiefs announced they will leave Missouri to play in a new stadium being built in neighboring Kansas, after state lawmakers approved funding for the project.