The President and CEO of the Chicago Bears named Northwest Indiana as a possible landing spot for the team's new stadium and said that while the proposed Arlington Heights location is the "best and only path forward in Cook County," it would be looking at other plots of land, including outside of Illinois.
"In addition to Arlington Park, we need to expand our search and critically evaluate opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana," Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren wrote in an open letter to the team's fanbase on Wednesday.
The Bears did not specify where in Northwest Indiana they may look to build if the Arlington Heights plan falls through.
The team has had eyes on building the new stadium in Arlington Heights for years and had even shared design renderings for the project, but Warren said the Bears have tried to work with Illinois state leaders with no success.
"Our efforts have been met with no legislative partnership," Warren said. "For a project of this scale uncertainty has significant consequences. 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."
Warren said Illinois officials have told the Bears that the Arlington Heights project will "not be a priority in 2026, despite the benefits it will bring to Illinois."
Warren said the possible shift in plans is "not about leverage" but instead about building "a world-class football team that has a world-class stadium worthy of our world-class fans — a stadium that reflects the future we are building together."
Democratic Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker's office slammed the letter, calling the suggestion that the Bears would move to Indiana "a startling slap in the face to all the beloved and loyal fans who have been rallying around the team during this strong season."
"The Governor’s a Bears fan who has always wanted them to stay in Chicago," Matt Hill, a spokesperson for Pritzker's office, said in an email to The Times. "He has also said that ultimately they are a private business that makes their own decisions, but the Governor has also been clear that the bottom line for any private business development should not come at the full expense of taxpayers.”
The team previously considered a move to the Region. A plan to build a stadium in Gary fell apart in the mid-1990s when the Lake County Council refused to consider an income tax that would’ve funded the project.
Indiana approved legislation in February to craft a plan for possibility of luring a pro sports team to Northwest Indiana. House Bill 1292, sponsored by state Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, created the Northwest Indiana Professional Sports Development Commission, a 19-member body to study the possibility of attracting a pro team along with developing a plan to do so.
The legislation did not provide funding or any other means to construct an NFL-quality stadium in Northwest Indiana.
The Bears have not asked for taxpayer funding to build the proposed stadium in Arlington Heights, but it is possible that if Northwest Indiana is selected as the landing spot for the project, Hoosiers could be asked to foot the bill to fund it.
"This legislation is a game-changer," Harris said in February. "Bringing professional sports to Northwest Indiana would not only be a huge benefit for sports fans, it would bring money, business, tourism and endless opportunities for our community."
"This will also inspire our students by opening doors to careers in sports management, marketing, hospitality and countless other fields," he added. "This is an opportunity to give our students a pathway to success right here in their hometown."
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