The Bears have been on the search for a new home after playing 54 of the past 55 years in the NFL’s oldest stadium, Soldier Field. Earlier this year, they announced Arlington Heights as their target location for the new facility. Today, Bears president & chief executive officer Kevin Warren published an open letter to the public and mentioned a new potential destination sure to grab headlines: Northwest Indiana. 
According to Warren, Arlington Heights, a suburb just northwest of Chicago, would be the only viable site in Cook County, based on all of the requirements needed to host an NFL stadium. Unlike with many other stadium deals in the league, the Bears are reportedly not asking taxpayers to foot any portion of the bill, offering to invest over $2BB for the stadium and asking only in return that local and State officials commit to the development of “essential local infrastructure (roads, utilities, and site improvements),” which they considered a typical and reasonable ask.
While the team has not been definitively rejected in their plans and proposals, according to Warren, they “have been told directly by State leadership” that the Arlington Heights move will not be a priority in 2026. In his letter, Warren comments that “for a project of this scale, uncertainty has significant consequences,” and the consequences of reticence on behalf of the State of Illinois appear to be a threat to move elsewhere.
Boasting about all the potential perks of a local NFL stadium — significant growth of unionized jobs, year-round attractions and events, increased local business revenue as a result of increased traffic — Warren has suggested that the team may move towards other options, should Illinois continue to dismiss them. Due to the lack of commitment, Warren says the franchise will expand its search to more seriously evaluate other “opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana.”
It’s a bold move from Warren but one that he clearly felt was necessary in order to get some movement in plans for a new deal. If State leadership in Illinois doesn’t respond well to Warren’s veiled threat, there’s apparently a possibility that, akin to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, we could soon see the Chicago Bears of Gary, Indiana.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Up your idiots
I mean, kudos on not taking (as much) money from the taxpayers, but moving possibly the most historic franchise in the NFL (or at least one of the most historic franchises) to share a state with the Colts (nothing against the Colts, that’s not my point) is just…I mean, does anyone buy this?
I laugh at how pro franchises float ideas like this and the Bears certainly aren’t the first. Just another way in which billionaire owners can maneuver to get taxpayers to fund palaces where they can do business. I dunno. Some may calm it a sick ploy
The McCaskey family are billionaires on paper only. They’re not sitting on a mountain of cash. Sigh…
Did you miss the part where they stated the Bears aren’t asking for $.01 of taxpayer money to build their new palace?
They are only asking for the State to build up the infrastructure around the new site like roads, bridges and stuff like that. You know the stuff States should be spending taxpayers money on!
Are you just naive about such things or do you believe in the tooth fairy, too? Do you understand how these things have gone in other cities?
Dude, this is just a PR ploy. The state has no business paying for the tons of infrastructure required because a private company with negligible employment wants to build. Moreover, when they call the state’s part is usually tons of stuff that really is part of the basic construction of the facility. Don’t fall for it.
If an employer is building a $2B facility in your backyard, and asks you to upgrade the infrastructure around that facility, you think that’s somehow bad??
Based on the number of Indiana trucker license plates I see on the freeways 2,000 miles away, you will certainly get the tax breaks you want. Welcome to Gary, the Armpit of America.
The Gary Bears has a certain ring to it.
Indianapolis is 2 hour drive from north west Indiana. Plenty of distance between Colts and a possible stadium in northwest Indiana.
Ak185, I’m not a fan of tax dollars funding private infrastructure. The NFL should pay as well, they certainly have plenty of money to build their own buildings. But the reality is that won’t happen no matter how much public outcry.
Right on target. I’m a dinosaur, I get that much. But big money has killed sports as I knew them, all the way down through college ball. Within a world that seriously has its priorities out of whack, what a great gig it is to be a billionaire. Reap incredible profits while passing along costs to taxpayers and fans without so much as a whimper from them to fund building palaces to play in. Maybe the Bears ownership can arrange a stadium build that rivals SoFi. What’s a trillion dollars anyway?
I’m not speaking about the tax dollars or infrastructure, but I do think that if the Bears truly follow through on their pledge to fully fund their stadium, it’s admirable. However, using it as leverage publically to threaten a move to an entirely differently state pretty removes the altruism from the idea.
The Bears aren’t even close to being the most historic franchise in the NFL. Absolutely laughable
I wonder who the founder of the NFL was, and if he had anything to do with the Bears, a charter franchise in the league. I wonder if that person was involved with the team and league for a few years. Is there a trophy named for the Bears’ most iconic name?
Yeah, probably not a historic franchise. Clown.
Kevin Warren, you must be out of your gd mind!
It’s easy to blame the Bears for this but on the other side of the stalemate is a group of self serving, ‘what’s in it for me?’, career Illinois legislators.
Some of those career legislators are from downstate Illinois and I can assure you their constituents don’t want to foot the bill for a sportsball palace anywhere near Chicago.
Especially if said legislators represent districts south of I-80 or west of the I-90 tollway.
Cant hurt to ask while the team is finally winning? If the Bears were to win it all this year, the Arlington Heights move might definitely be a priority in 2026
Yes, it can hurt to ask, especially during a cost of living crisis.
Arlington Heights is the site of Arlington Park, former horse racing track the Bears acquired early in 2023. Great location with easy access via commuter train, highway, expressway, and tollway. Had anyone other than Kevin Warren been the Bears’ club president, the Arlington Park stadium would be under construction if not close to opening.
The Bears have yet to start construction at Arlington Park because they want a tax abatement from the village of Arlington Heights. (Translation: they don’t wanna pay any property taxes.) Warren then floated the idea of a new stadium along the Chicago lakefront. Season ticket holders shot that idea down when they were polled. No tax abatement forthcoming, so now Warren floats the idea of moving to Indiana where he’ll get a taxpayer-funded palace. That’s not gonna sit well with anyone other than the rich and powerful.
If you think the MAGA crowd will sit still for that, you’re badly mistaken.
If there were real leaders in Chicago and Illinois, probably wouldn’t have to look elsewhere to build a stadium. What a shame
Yeah those real leaders would just give them a blank check to build a private stadium!
The Bears are building the $2BB stadium, not private taxpayers dollars.
What the Bears asked Arlington Heights to do is build the needed infrastructure around the new stadium. Arlington Heights would get a huge profit on their investment!
Did you actually read the article? They’re not asking for $.01 for the actual stadium.
Ricketts just rebuilt Wrigley Field and most of the neighborhood with ZERO help from the City or the State. He constantly gets bashed for being cheap. The Halas family has been called cheap since Virgil Carters comment. However both are willing to build their own stuff with almost no help and once again the political mess that is this state constantly drops things on it’s feet. When Ricketts took over Wrigley you were just as likely to get hit on the head with a piece of concrete as a baseball. The only thing of Wrigley that isn’t new is the Outfield wall and the Ivy. I’ll even venture to say that if these idiots let this happen, They better start looking behind them in this societal nightmare that’s going on.
Let’s get you back to the home, grandpa
Gary Indiana?!?! Makes Sox park location look like Wrigley ville
Welp, they don’t call it “Crook” County for no reason.
As Mayor Brandon Johnson always states during his press conferences and interviews. “Stop taking money and resources from our poor and oppressed citizens”.
They won’t do it. At least I hope not…
If Goodell continues to advance his agenda of exporting NFL games to foreign countries does it make sense to invest in new stadiums in the United States? The number of home games for American based teams will keep shrinking if Goodell has his way.
Ah, I see your tinfoil hat fits nicely.
You won’t believe how hard it is to find a matching jacket in my size 🙂
You probably confuse the hell out of some thermal vision, though
So davenport is still in play…… 🤞
It’d make about as much sense as Indiana, so there’s that.
They’re still asking for nearly a BILLION dollars in tax breaks & building the necessary infrastructure for a project this large. Respect to Illinois for holding firm on not playing this losing game.
How much are the Bears paying?
$2 billion dollars!
How does a 2 billion dollar job add up to a 1 billion dollar tax break?
From the ESPN article yesterday: “However, the Bears have been in a battle with lawmakers over tax breaks and securing $855 million in public funding for costs related to building the new stadium.”
855 million is likely a GROSS underestimate based on similar projects.
I think you’re missing the big picture. Are they asking for tax breaks? Of course, all business that are in the process of making improvements/expanding do the same thing. The money the city would make off of the added jobs would offset some of that. And right now that land isn’t bringing them in much cash the way it sits.
Of course the Bears are asking for tax breaks! The football club hasn’t begun construction at Arlington Park for that exact reason.
This is basically a shell game. The Bears are asking for tax breaks, ensuring they recoup half of their investment; meaning the taxpayers are still footing a lot of the bill for this new stadium. Rich people do this all of the time, knowing it’s all in how you frame it.
“Sure Jan”
That Arlington Heights official statement is so sad. A public comment acknowledging the Bears are way out of their league, so it’s understandable the team would want to play the field and see if they can do better, but Arlington Heights will still be there for them if things don’t work out. They should’ve saved themselves the effort and simply tagged the Bears on their social media with a post of Say Anything John Cusack standing in the rain gif.
if Pritrzger lets the Bears move to Indiana he wouldn’t get elected Dog Catcher in Illinois ever again especially if the Bears are building the stadium and all they are asking for is a couple of roads and a tax break in return. Revenue they would be able to reclaim with world class events they’d be able to host like Super Bowls and Final Fours and so on. Morons.
The Arlington Heights Teacher Union somehow got involved and demanded Bears pay higher taxes. I mean, how do they have any influence over this? What a shame
Is this legit? That’s wild
link to chicagotribune.com
Teachers unions think that the solution to all of the world’s problems is higher teacher salary.
Move them to Toronto and piss off the whole damn country. The Liberals up there will build them a stadium and the owners can keep all their money and the Canadian taxpayers can take it on the chin.
As a Canadian and die hard Bears fan I support this plan. Take all my money!!
Rogers Centre is built to NFL standard — the Buffalo Bills once hosted some home games there — but no NFL club is going to move to Canada given the frosty relations between Ottawa and Washington.
I’d like to see the Bears build their stadium in Oshkosh, just to annoy Bearmeat and the other Packers fans…lol.
If they move to Indiana, I would sue if I were Chicago to take the Chicago name off of the team.
“They’re doing it with their own money!!!”. No, they are not if they are asking for a billion dollars in tax breaks.
Good luck with that. San Fran doesn’t play in SF. Neither do the NY teams.
Sure they are. Those tax breaks don’t come out of anyone’s pockets. They’re just asking to pay less over the beginning. All businesses do this. I don’t always agree with it but it’s done a lot.
Move to Anchorage Alaska and become the PolarBears.
What about the Milwaukee Bears? Moving closer to Green Bay can only be good for the rivalry.
Milwaukee already has other sports teams so perhaps the Packers and Bears could share the stadium in Green Bay like the Giants and Jets do in New Jersey 🙂
GTFOH with that. We don’t want those FIBS anywhere near our legendary home 😁
If Lambeau was legendary why did the Packers split home games with Milwaukee for more than 60 years?
You know the answer to that: The NFL almost forced GB to move in the 40s and again in the early 80s. Prior to the 2003 renovation, Lambeau was iconic, yes, but it also didn’t make much money for the team, or the area. It was small, the amenities weren’t great. It was basically a tax drag except for 8 days a year (including preseason). The 03 renovation, and further renovations, have changed that.
The Packers are the state team, not just the city of Green Bay. Milwaukee was the Packers way to make more money than they would have 50 years ago with another home game in Lambeau. Today, those “Milwaukee” season ticket holders are called the “Gold” package. And most drive up I-43 for those 3 home games a year.
Dexxter, the Green Bay Packers would veto any such move.
Look at you Indiana! Transforming into a little football state!
Steagles part two (soulless ownership)