The Chicago Bears are leaving Illinois. Following the failure of the Illinois General Assembly to authorize local stadium authorities on Monday, the franchise announced Friday that its board of directors voted to advance a new stadium development in Hammond, Indiana. The Thursday vote ends a years-long standoff with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker over public infrastructure funding.
Bears Chairman George H. McCaskey and President Kevin Warren issued a joint statement confirming the interstate jump. The executives stated a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region, creating a new corridor connecting Northwest Indiana to the South Side of Chicago.
The franchise is heavily vetting a tract of land near Wolf Lake. This move completely abandons the team’s $197 million purchase of Arlington Heights property in 2023 and their subsequent lakefront proposal near Soldier Field. Pritzker and state lawmakers consistently refused to approve the team’s request for $855 million in public infrastructure funds.
Indiana lawmakers paved the way for this exact scenario in February. The state passed legislation establishing a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority backed by a $1 billion incentive package. As detailed by NFL.com wire reports, the state will issue bonds repaid through a Hammond event admissions tax, a 1% food and beverage tax in Lake and Porter Counties, and a 5% innkeepers tax.
Local officials are already mobilizing infrastructure. South Shore Line President Dave Dech announced the transit agency is evaluating service expansions to move fans efficiently and reduce roadway congestion around the proposed campus. Indiana Governor Mike Braun welcomed the franchise, stating he expects to build a partnership “as strong as the ’85 Bears defense.” The team has played in Illinois since their founding as the Decatur Staleys in 1920.