Bears take another 'meaningful step' in plans to potentially ditch Illinois for Indiana

Are the Chicago Bears seriously considering moving to Indiana? 

The amended Indiana Senate Bill 27 passed through the Ways and Means committee by a vote of 24-0 on Thursday morning. The legislation founds the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to issue bonds to finance, build and lease a stadium. That paves the way for the Bears to build a stadium in Hammond, Ind., roughly 30 minutes south of Chicago, where the team currently plays at Soldier Field.

How does this impact Bears' future in Chicago?

"The passage of SB 27 would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date," the Bears said in a statement (h/t The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain, Dan Wiederer and Jon Greenberg). "We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana."

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, meanwhile, wrote on X that the state is "open for business, and our pro-growth environment continues to attract major opportunities like this partnership with the Chicago Bears." 

The Bears had long planned to build their new stadium in Arlington Heights, Ill., roughly 25 miles northwest of Chicago. The team purchased a 326-acre property in Arlington Heights for $197.2M in September 2021. It also pledged $2B to the project.  

In December 2025, however, Bears president Kevin Warren said the team was considering other sites after the project's momentum stalled. The Illinois legislature and franchise had made some progress since. 

One of the sticking points in negotiations was the Bears' ability to negotiate tax payments with local governing bodies instead of paying full property taxes. The Illinois House Revenue and Finance committee had scheduled a meeting on Thursday morning to discuss such a bill, but the hearing was cancelled. 

Matt Hill, a spokesman for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, said the Bears requested that the meeting be scratched. 

"Illinois was ready to move this bill forward," Hill posted on X. "After a productive three hour meeting yesterday, the Bears leaders requested the ILGA pause the hearing to make further tweaks to the bill. This morning, we were surprised to see a statement lauding Indiana and ignoring Illinois."

The Bears may be playing the states against each other to land the best deal. With the groundwork for another stadium in place, they now hold even more leverage.