The Chicago Bears are one step closer to leaving not only the city of Chicago, but also the state of Illinois, and heading over the border into Indiana.
A statement from Chicago Bears Chairman George McCaskey and President and CEO Kevin Warren, posted to their X account on Friday reads: “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.
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“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,” the statement said. “It will bring Chicagoland together and deliver new opportunities to its residents and businesses.”
Adam Schefter, ESPN’s NFL insider, cited a source in a separate post as saying: “There is more work to do but barring anything very strange, it’s a done deal.”
The fate of the franchise has become a sore spot in Illinois politics. Last month, Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL), widely tipped as a 2028 presidential candidate, criticized Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson for having “no plan” to keep the reigning NFC North champions in the city despite being in office for three years. Earlier this week, Johnson said that “the best place for a fan to enjoy our Chicago Bears, it’s downtown.” He also told the Chicago Sun-Times “there’s no plan in Hammond.”
The proposed Hammond, Indiana, site is about 23 miles from Chicago’s current home, Soldier Field, which first opened in 1924, making it the NFL’s oldest stadium. The stadium is not playing host to any World Cup games later this month, after former mayor Rahm Emanuel, also a 2028 hopeful, didn’t bid for it.
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Earlier this week, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) touted the appeal of jumping over the border, saying the Bears deserved “a place that runs like Indiana, triple-A credit rating, where you get a lot more stadium built for the money you’re going to invest, where you’ve got friendly guidelines to have a business, in general, and where you’re not going to be taxed out of existence.”
Should the Bears move, Indiana would be home to two NFL franchises, with the Indianapolis Colts plying their trade in the AFC South.
The Bears are on somewhat of an upswing after years in the doldrums, with second-year head coach Ben Johnson and third year quarterback Caleb Williams leading the way. Last year, after winning the division, they beat their arch-rival Green Bay Packers in a dramatic wild-card playoff contest 31-27, before eventually losing in overtime to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round, 20-17.
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There is endless precedent for a last-minute change of heart about location, most recently with the Washington Wizards of the NBA and Capitals of the NHL, who were nearly coaxed to a new complex in Alexandria, Virginia, by then Gov. Glenn Youngkin, only to end up staying in Washington, D.C.
It’s also not unprecedented for NFL teams not to play in the city, or even the state, they’re linked to. The New York Jets and Giants both play in New Jersey, while the San Francisco 49ers play in Santa Clara, and the Dallas Cowboys play in Arlington, Texas, for example.
