Chicago Bears Relocation to Indiana Moves Closer as Illinois Scrambles to Approve $5 Billion Stadium Alternative in High-Stakes Fight to Keep Franchise
The Chicago Bears have several options on the table as the franchise prepares to leave Soldier Field.
Indiana is doing everything it can to convince the Chicago Bears to cross state lines.
Already boasting the improved Indianapolis Colts and national champion Indiana Hoosiers, another NFL franchise could arrive in the new few years.
The new stadium is likely to feature a dome and end snowy playoff football
The Bears are set to leave Soldier Field and had targeted a $5 billion redevelopment of the former Arlington International Racecourse in Illinois.
But amid pushback on the amount of public funds available to fund infrastructure, sites in Northwest Indiana are also being viewed.
As Illinois lawmakers discuss their own funding, the Indiana senate has passed a bill approving the creation of a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority.
It would run on a similar model to the one that built Lucas Oil Field for the Colts and is designed to smooth the process of allocating land and money to large-scale projects.
The next step for the bill is the Indiana state house before it would hit Governor Mike Braun’s desk.
Officials have indicated that they would require a commitment from the Bears by the time the Governor’s office is involved.
“My goal is just to keep being in play as the whole thing unfurls,” Braun told the IBJ. “And I think it’s more than just kicking the tires to create a bargaining position.
“But take nothing for granted. We won’t get ahead of our skis, but we’ll certainly be timely on all the things we need to do to be in a position to take advantage of it.”
The team may already have the result it was looking for by touring potential locations outside Missouri.
“It’s amazing how quickly this has turned around,” Sportscorp Ltd CEO Marc Ganis told ABC 7 Chicago. “From two years of no activity, to activity the Tazmanian Devil would be proud of.
Soldier Field is the oldest stadium in the NFL
“Indiana is gonna come in strong so it’s going to be an interesting next six weeks.”
This strategy is nothing new.
The Kansas City Chiefs pitted Missouri and Kansas against each other to secure the most attractive deal possible for their new home.
If approved, Kansas is set to contribute 60 percent of the cost of a new stadium with Arrowhead left behind.
Chicago Bears turn corner under Ben Johnson
“Illinois Governor JB Pritzker now says he’s open to helping keep the Bears by funding infrastructure improvements in Arlington Heights,” Crain’s Chicago Business reporter Danny Ecker explained. “It’s uncertain how quickly the legislature is willing to move forward, however.”
The Bears put a winning product on the field this season and Pritzker will not want to be the man who lost a franchise that looks able to compete for Super Bowls in the near future.
In his first year as head coach Ben Johnson took the team to the Divisional Round thanks to a memorable playoff victory over the Green Bay Packers.
But the Los Angeles Rams proved too strong, and Johnson isn’t resting on his laurels after missing out on Super Bowl LX, which fans can watch here.
“In regards to last season, I really appreciate our guys,” he said. “They came in in the springtime and they dedicated a large amount of trust to what we were doing. Buy in, work ethic, they sacrificed a lot. That’s what gave us a chance there at the end.
“We won games, put ourselves in a good position, but ultimately we came up short and so our guys are going to learn from this.
“I can’t say enough good things about this particular group of coaches, of players, of support staff. I thought they were special, and I said that at the end of the year.
“They believe that and I’ll forever be grateful for what they were able to do this season. But we’re one of the 31 other teams that fell short.
“If anything, that just rejuvenates me and makes me want to push harder and longer than what we did this past season. I’m already looking ahead to 2026 myself.”
