The Chicago Bears have got to move out of Soldier Field, period. For starters, the play in a city that sees some of the harshest winters in the country, and the stadium has no dome to protect the players. Soldier Field is also the smallest NFL stadium by capacity, keeping so many fans away from enjoying the game. After years of suffering under these conditions, the Bears have finally called it quits with their home.

The city of Chicago isn’t so keen to let them go and has been trying to stall the move. However, the franchise has firmly made up its mind.

“The Chicago Bears have exhausted every opportunity to stay in Chicago, which was our initial goal,” the franchise announced in a statement. “There is not a viable site in the city. As a result, the only sites under consideration are in Arlington Heights and Hammond.”

This comes after a discrepancy was revealed between what the Bears and the Mayor’s office have been saying. The franchise has always pointed out the two new venues as the locations they are looking at for a new home. But Senator Bill Cunningham said he learned that the Bears spoke about a new lakefront venue in Chicago when team representation was at the mayor’s office.

Mayor Brandon Johnson is the biggest detractor to the Chicago Bears’ move. He still argues that it is possible to keep the team in the city. But the Bears have refuted claims of entertaining this suggestion. They also claimed that whatever was deliberated upon with the Mayor’s office was a routine procedure.

“Any meetings between the City of Chicago and the Chicago Bears were limited to counsel-to-counsel engagement. There were no conversations with team management. […] No substantive changes resulted. There are only two sites under consideration, Arlington Heights and Hammond.”

Governor Pritzker openly blasted Mayor Johnson for making a late intervention and still not presenting a financial plan. Johnson had previously sparred with the Governor that he and state lawmakers are actively scrambling to pass a “megaprojects bill” before the end of the legislative session. This critical legislation would keep the team in Illinois by offering massive property tax breaks for the Arlington Heights location. 

Arlington Heights has a 326-acre blank canvas for the team, which it has already bought. But Illinois lawmakers must immediately pony up the required tax breaks to prevent the ultimate betrayal of losing their beloved team to Indiana. The ownership group clearly knows they hold all the cards at the negotiating table. 

“I put the structure of a deal together with the Bears, and now the Senate has some work to do,” Pritzker said. “I think they’re going to make changes to the bill, no doubt. But I would expect that we’ll see something before May 31 and that both houses, the Senate and the House, would vote on that.” 

For now, Northwest Indiana seems like a more suitable option for the Chicago Bears. In December 2025, Kevin Warren, the Bears’ president and CEO, claimed that the fans deserve a world-class stadium. That was the motivation behind the team looking out for venues in the wider Chicagoland, including Indiana. 

And to support the Bears, Mike Braun, the Governor of Indiana, shared a post on X to welcome the team for business at Hammond. 

Governor of Indiana sent a proposal to the Chicago Bears to consider a spot at Hammond

“Indiana is open for business, and our pro-growth environment continues to attract major opportunities like this partnership with the Chicago Bears,” Braun wrote on X. “We’ve identified a promising site near Wolf Lake in Hammond and established a broad framework for negotiating a final deal. If approved, the proposed amendment to Senate Bill 27 puts forward the essential framework to complete this agreement, contingent upon site due diligence proceeding smoothly. 

“We have built a strong relationship with the Bears organization that will serve as the foundation for a public-private partnership, leading to the construction of a world-class stadium and a win for taxpayers.”

This statement came after the House Ways and Means Committee discussed a Senate bill about creating the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority. This authority will be responsible for acquiring a multi-billion-dollar funding for the Bears’ new home. Per a report from Front Office Sports, the Bears are close to finalizing the deal with Indiana for $5 billion.

Meanwhile, the Bears have reportedly failed to procure a traffic study around Arlington Heights. As per Senator Cunningham, answering the Bears’ call for huge financial help from the state for the relocation would include building roads and bridges around the construction site. But without a traffic study to direct a financial plan, getting a nod from the lawmakers will be a problem. 

Only time will tell if the Chicago Bears choose the nearby Arlington Heights, or to cross state lines. A decision is expected this summer, per the franchise’s statement.