The Bears are apparently ready to leave Illinois if they don't get what they want.
The Chicago Bears are thinking outside of the box — er, state — for their next stadium.
Bears president Kevin Warren released a letter to season ticket holders Wednesday with an update on the franchise's yearslong search for a new home after a century at Soldier Field. In recent years, the campaign has focused on a site in the suburb of Arlington heights that the team purchased in 2023, with Warren saying in September that the team needs to finalize plans this year.
However, Warren said in his letter Wednesday that Illinois state leaders have directly told the Bears the project will not be a priority in 2026 and that the team will now expand its search for a stadium in the greater Chicago area. Which includes the region of Northwest Indiana.
From the letter:
Stable timelines are critical, as are predictable processes and elected leaders, who share a sense of urgency and appreciation for public partnership that projects with this level of impact require. We have not received that sense of urgency or appreciation to date. 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.
Consequently, in addition to Arlington Park, we need to expand our search and critically evaluate opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana. This is not about leverage. We spent years trying to build a new home in Cook County. We invested significant time and resources evaluating multiple sites and rationally decided on Arlington Heights. Our fans deserve a world-class stadium. Our players and coaches deserve a venue that matches the championship standard they strive for every day. With that in mind, our organization must keep every credible pathway open to deliver that future.
A move to Indiana would be an astonishing outcome for the Bears, even if the Indiana border is less than 15 miles from their current location of Soldier Field. A stadium in Hammond or Gary, Northwest Indiana's largest cities, would take some getting used to.
Still, the NFL has never seemed to mind the location of its stadium not matching up with the name of the team. The New York Jets and New York Giants both play in the neighboring state of New Jersey. The Washington Commanders play in Landover, Maryland, but are in the process of moving back to D.C. Plenty of teams play in external suburbs.
This wouldn't even be the most shocking move Warren has been a part of, as he was a central figure in adding USC and UCLA to the Big Ten when he was president of the conference.
Warren's letter notes the Bears are not asking for state taxpayer dollars to build the Arlington Park stadium, but concedes they are asking for a commitment to infrastructure upgrades such as roads and utilities.
Aside from Arlington Park, state leaders were cold on a project floated last year to build a lakefront stadium near Soldier Field that would have run Illinois taxpayers $2 billion. There have also been past efforts to further renovate Soldier Field, which might be the one option Warren doesn't sound open to in his letter.
And, of course, this is all being thrown out there three days before the Bears' biggest game of the season against the Green Bay Packers, which could decide the NFC North.
Category: General Sports
