(104.3 The Score) The Bears have taken another significant step toward moving across state lines.
The Bears board of directors voted Thursday to advance a stadium development in Hammond, Indiana, the team announced Friday. The exact site it still to be determined. The revelation came just days after the Illinois spring legislative session ended early Monday morning without the passage of a bill that would’ve made building a stadium in suburban Arlington Heights a feasible option in the Bears’ mind.
It marked the most significant step yet in the Bears' long-running stadium pursuit.
“Yesterday, the Chicago Bears board of directors met and voted to advance our stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana, with the exact site to be selected," chairman George McCaskey and president Kevin Warren said in a statement. "We believe a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region, connecting northwest Indiana to the South Side of Chicago through the Loop and across neighborhoods and suburbs stretching north of the city. It will bring Chicagoland together and deliver new opportunities to its residents and businesses.”
In Hammond, the Bears would have the financial support of the Indiana state government. A bill passed in late February — and signed quickly by Indiana Gov. Mike Braun — will allow the Bears to lease the publicly owned stadium while collecting revenue before ultimately having the option to purchase the property for $1 once those bonds are paid in full.
The Bears first began to explore northwest Indiana as a viable option in December after Illinois lawmakers told the team that state funding for a stadium wouldn’t be a priority in 2026. Once the site in Hammond become a more realistic option through legislation in Indianapolis, lawmakers in Springfield began to more seriously discuss a stadium deal for the Bears. But a bill was never finalized before the Illinois House adjourned its spring session in early hours of Monday. A stadium bill was approved in the state senate but didn’t go up for a vote in the house.
After that, the Bears released a statement Monday saying they’d continue to evaluate options in both Arlington Heights and Hammond with the goal of deciding by late spring or early summer. A few days later, they took another significant step toward moving to Hammond.
The Bears have owned a 326-acre property in Arlington Heights since February 2023, land they bought at a cost of $197.2 million. The organization initially signed a purchase agreement on that property — previously Arlington International Racecourse — in September 2021, meaning this stadium saga has been going on for five years.
The Bears purchased Arlington Park without full financial clarity on what was to come. They hoped to get some getting taxpayer support and wanted the ability to attain tax certainty through negotiations with municipalities. Several years of battles with policymakers left the team without a solution.
The Bears also considered building a new stadium along the lakefront in Chicago, just south of Soldier Field. Renderings were unveiled in a presentation alongside Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson in April 2024, but that plan didn’t have state support as Gov. JB Pritzker and others weren't interested from the beginning.
The stadium bill passed by Indiana will be funded by a 1% food and beverage tax in Lake and Porter counties along with a 5% increase in the Lake County innkeeper tax. Those taxes are projected to generate around $20 million annually. The Bears have pledged $2 billion in private funding for the construction of the stadium, and the team would be in line purchase the stadium once bonds are paid in full to the state.
“To me, this isn’t a competition with (Indiana) and Illinois,” Indiana state senator Ryan Mishler, who sponsored the bill, said after it passed through the state senate in February. “I mean, for us, the way we look at it or me personally, this is something we worked out with them. We know what we have. If it’s something (the Bears) want, then they’ll do it.
“We got a really good final product out there. For what I understand about this megaprojects bill, it’s basically about property taxes. In Indiana, they wouldn’t even pay property taxes. So, I don’t know where the comparison is there.”
The Bears began their stadium exploration in 2021 under the watch of former president/CEO Ted Phillips, who retired in early 2023. Phillips led the purchase of the property at Arlington Park. Current team president Kevin Warren assumed the responsibility of the stadium project when he was hired to replace Phillips.
The Bears have played their home games at Soldier Field since 1971. The team operates under a lease with the city, which runs through 2033.
Chris Emma covers the Bears and the Chicago sports scene for 104.3 The Score.
