Eleventh hour stadium plan proposed to tempt NFL’s second-oldest team into abandoning $5bn relocation

Apr 7, 2026 - 12:30

The Chicago Bears are now just weeks away from officially announcing where they will build their new stadium.

Over the past few months, all signs appear to have pointed to the NFL’s second-oldest franchise moving out of Soldier Field in Illinois and across state lines into Indiana.

A general view of Soldier Field during a game between the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears — The Bears look certain to leave 61,500-capacity Soldier Field

This comes despite proposals to build a new $4.7 billion domed stadium in suburban Arlington Heights, with the Bears having purchased the 326-acre Arlington Park racetrack property for $197 million back in 2023.

But at the eleventh hour, and with negotiations at a standoff, Indiana lawmakers announced that they had struck a deal with the Bears to bring the team to Hammond, northwest Indiana.

This came after the passage of Senate Bill 27, which outlines a set of investment promises pertaining to the Bears being able to build their stadium at the Wolf Lake site in Hammond.

A potential Bears relocation to Indiana involves a stadium project estimated at $2 to $3 billion. The team has committed $2 billion in private funds, while seeking roughly $885 million in public infrastructure support for a new site.

Illinois lawmakers, on the other hand, have pushed back a vote on a property tax bill which, if passed, would allow any developer of a “mega project” that surpasses $500 million to negotiate directly with local governments for up to 40 years.

The passage of this bill is crucial if the Bears are to stand any chance of remaining in Illinois.

Chicago Mayor pushing for previously rejected site

However, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson hasn’t yet given up hope of persuading the Bears to construct a facility downtown at the site of former Michael Reese Hospital, according to a report from Front Office Sports’ Eric Fisher.

The Bears have already previously rejected that location, due to the fact that it is considered too narrow, while the active train tracks running through it further adds to it being considered a logistical nightmare.

Furthermore, this appears to once again highlight the divide among Illinois legislators, while those in Indiana – who have been in recess with the House resuming Tuesday and the Senate the following week – seem to be sitting back and are in wait-and-see mode.

During the NFL’s Annual League Meeting, Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren was asked about the possibility of whether the solution to their ongoing stadium location saga would come in the downtown area.

A general view of Soldier Field — Chicago is the original home of the NFL’s second-oldest franchise

A general view of Soldier Field is seen during game action in a preseason NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Chicago Bears on August 25, 2018 — Indiana appears to have won the battle to pull the Bears out of Illinois

It was a resounding no.

“We strongly believe the only site in the state of Illinois, in Cook County, is Arlington Heights,” Warren told Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and Chris Simms.

“Because when you see that property having 326 acres, with a train station there, and the things that we would be able to do. There are some great sites. …

“It’s imperative that you want to make sure that you have an opportunity to do a surrounding mixed-use development wherever you build your stadium. So you’ve got to have that space to do it.

“And the biggest thing is that ingress and egress tailgating, game-day experience.”

With Soldier Field set to be abandoned regardless of where the team winds up due to political reasons preventing the team from building a site nearby their current home, it seems as though an official decision is now just mere weeks away.

“We’ve been working on our stadium and feel very strongly that we are making progress,” Warren also said at the annual meeting in Phoenix.

This photo shows a view of the newly renovated Soldier Field, the home of the NFL's Chicago Bears, with the Chicago skyline in the background 29 September, 2003 on opening night of the new stadium as the Chicagp Bears prepare to take on the Green Bay Packers. — The Bears have used Soldier Field as their home since 1971

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“We are in an excellent position. The target is to make sure that we have a decision made by … late spring, early summer.”

This timeline matches up with May 31 end of the Illinois General Assembly’s spring session.

A further update was issued by NFL insider Adam Schefter on Monday, where he wrote on X: “If Illinois doesn’t pass legislation for Arlington Heights soon, sources believe the Bears are likely to be Indiana bound.”

“If we can get this wrapped up by late spring, early summer, then we have to finish the design, because we want to make sure it’s kind of site-specific,” Warren added, when speaking Shaw Local News. “The goal is to do everything we can to be open in 2030.”

Only time will tell whether the Bears moving out of state becomes a reality.

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