LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) 鈥� The have at least one viable site for a stadium in northwest Indiana and they are examining a second location as they move closer to finalizing a place for their new home.
The Bears that they were moving forward with a stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana. They have completed their review of what they are calling the Lost Marsh site, and they are doing their due diligence on the Wolf Lake Terminal site. They could merge the two options together in some way.
鈥淓ven though we鈥檝e had occasional meetings with the state of Illinois, our sole focus at this point in time is working on a world-class stadium and mixed-use development in Hammond, Indiana,鈥� team President Kevin Warren said Thursday.
The Bears also had been considering Arlington Heights 鈥� about 30 miles northwest of Chicago 鈥� as a potential location for an enclosed stadium. Wherever they end up, a name change is off the table.
鈥淲e will be the Chicago Bears whether we鈥檙e in Arlington or whether we鈥檙e in Hammond,鈥� chairman George McCaskey said.
The Bears, a charter NFL franchise, have played in Illinois since the team鈥檚 founding in 1920 as the Decatur Staleys. They moved to Chicago in 1921 and called Wrigley Field home before they started playing at Soldier Field in September 1971.
The Bears鈥� lease runs through 2033, but they can pay a fee to break the lease early. Soldier Field is about 40 miles south of Halas Hall 鈥� the team鈥檚 headquarters in Lake Forest 鈥� and Hammond is about 20 miles south of the team鈥檚 lakefront stadium.
McCaskey acknowledged the 鈥渁nxiety鈥� of a move to northwest Indiana for the team’s fans.
鈥淏ut when I鈥檝e driven that route, other than a sign telling me so, I wouldn鈥檛 know that I鈥檝e just crossed the state border,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd as Kevin said, once people see the building, once they get in there, once they understand that our top priority from day one was a world-class stadium experience, we think we鈥檒l make that adjustment. We think Bears fans are up for that.鈥�
The Bears ramped up their focus on Indiana after a proposal to provide financial incentives for the team to build its new home in Illinois stalled in the state legislature. A committee in the Indiana House of Representatives in February that established a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to finance, construct and lease a stadium.
The Illinois Senate that would have cleared the way for Arlington Heights and Chicago to create local stadium authorities, creating a pathway for the Bears to avoid paying property taxes on a new stadium. But the House adjourned without taking up the measure on the last day of the state鈥檚 spring legislative session.
McCaskey said the team has had minimal conversations with Illinois legislators since June. Asked if he was hopeful about Illinois coming up with a plan and building in Arlington Heights, McCaskey demurred.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell 鈥渉as said to us many times in league meetings, 鈥楬ope is not a strategy,鈥欌�� McCaskey said. 鈥淲e have to deal with the here and now. We have to deal with real circumstances, and these are the real circumstances.鈥�
Speaking before McCaskey and Warren held their news conference, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said his office has been in contact with the team.
鈥淲e鈥檙e working hard to make sure that there鈥檚 an opportunity for the Bears to stay in the state of Illinois, whether it鈥檚 in Chicago or in Arlington Heights,鈥� Pritzker said.
鈥淚 also want, at the same time, to protect the fans and the taxpayers of the state. So we鈥檙e going to do everything we can to make sure that that happens.鈥�
The Bears have been pursuing a new home for years, but the process has been hampered by repeated twists and turns.
The team announced in that it had signed a purchase agreement for 326 acres of land in Arlington Heights. The $197 million deal with Churchill Downs Inc. was finalized in 2023.
the team unveiled a nearly $5 billion plan for Arlington Heights that called for an enclosed stadium that could host Super Bowls and Final Fours. The also provided for a year-round entertainment district with restaurants and shopping.
But the Bears shifted their focus toward building a new stadium next to Soldier Field after Warren was hired as team president in , replacing the retiring Ted Phillips. The plan to transform Chicago鈥檚 Museum Campus got an enthusiastic endorsement from Mayor Brandon Johnson and a and state legislators when it was announced in April 2024.
The team switched gears again in , announcing it had made 鈥渟ignificant progress鈥� with local leaders in Arlington Heights.
Amid lingering efforts to secure tax incentives in Illinois, along with as much as in public money for infrastructure at the Arlington Heights site, the Bears began at possible options in northwest Indiana.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in regular, almost daily communication with the state of Indiana working on this,鈥� Warren said. 鈥淲e have an excellent deal, a win-win partnership together. And the cost of the significance of this decision from a stadium standpoint, we will make sure that we take our time to get this right.鈥�
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